


Summer in Barcelona

by Pascel_Archer



Category: Jorge 'JeyJey' Garay/Benji Krol
Genre: Benjey, Depression, M/M, Painter!Benji, That one 80's Benjey fic no one asked me to write, and i mean no one, barcelona, photographer!Jorge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 40,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pascel_Archer/pseuds/Pascel_Archer
Summary: Jorge Garay struggles with depression, fighting to keep his head above the water. Who knew it would take a cute boy from Canada to help him see colour again?
Relationships: Jorge Garay/Benji Krol
Comments: 26
Kudos: 34





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The prologue for a new story I'm trying to write

Some people say it takes six months to be classified as depressed. Jorge didn’t quite get why people put a time limit on depression, he had known he wasn’t just sad when he had last interest in doing what he loved. Painting. He hadn’t painted something in weeks, his paintbrushes clean and away, his paints drying out like the sheets he hung on the line. He tucked a strand of tray hair behind his bandana, sighing quietly. he guessed he should water the plants on the balcony. It took him ten minutes to convince himself to actually get up. The water can was almost empty, the bottom holding bits of dirt from when the wind blew the soil into it. Now he had to rinse it out and refill it if he wanted to give the plants fresh water. He put the can back, deciding to do it the next day. By then the flowers might be dead, but he didn’t care. He laid in bed, only to have someone knock on his door. He groaned. Was there ever a moment of silence in this cobblestone prison? Jorge pushed himself up, walking to the door. He didn’t even know who it could be. He opened the door, falling into the prettiest hazel eyes he had ever seen. 

“Hola, senor?” he said questionably. Jorge frowned.

“Hola?" he replied. 

“Soy Benji, me mudé en la puerta de al lado y pensé que sería agradable conocer a alguien” (I’m Benji, I just moved in next door and thought it’d be nice to meet someone) he said unsurely. Jorge nodded.

“Soy Jorge” he nodded. Benji smiled as though that was the best thing he had ever heard.

“Uh, um, Encantado de conocerte!” (nice to meet you) he informed. Jorge nodded, unable to keep from smiling at him.

“Tú también” he replied. Benji nodded, still smiling. “¿Te gustaría entrar hace calor aquí afuera?” he asked his hand perched on his hip. Benji looked confused, his smile a little less sure. “Would you like inside hot…out here” he tried to translate, since his English wasn’t that good. Benji perked up.

“You know English! I’m so glad, my Spanish isn’t that good and yes, maybe moving to Barcelona wasn’t that great of an idea, but you know Paris was busy and I don’t know French” he explained. It was Jorge’s turn to look confused. “Mi español apesta” he reiterated. Jorge laughed, moving aside so Benji could step into his small apartment.


	2. Chapter: 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just filler to get the ball rolling, I promise the next chapter will be better and longer. Also, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Pascel_Archer

Benji looked around the apartment in wonder. The walls were painted a pretty yellow, green plants sitting on every surface. Each one was unique and had a tag saying what type it was. They were silent as Benji looked around, stepping onto the balcony, looking around in amazement. Jorge fixed his shorts, hoping he didn’t look to unpresentable.

“Do you want a…….drink?” he asked, walking to the small kitchen off to the side.

“Uh, sure” he nodded. He watched as Jorge moved around the kitchen, grabbing two glasses and pulling a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge. He was wearing a floral printed button up tucked into khaki shorts. It was a cute outfit, on him at least. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts his mother always warned him about. The ones that would crawl into his head late at night when the lights were out, and he thought he was alone. The ones that left him breathless and confused. He hated those thoughts. 

He looked up to see Jorge standing in front of him, holding out a glass. It was sweating where he held it, beads of water dripping down the side. 

“Gracias” he smiled, accepting it. A small breeze moved through the open balcony door, raising goose bumps on Benji’s arms and neck. “Do you live here alone?” Benji asked. It took a minute for Jorge to process what Benji asked, after he did, he nodded. 

"Yes, I moved out when I was nineteen” he said, his accent heavy. Benji nodded. “Do you live by yourself?” Jorge asked, setting his glass on the coffee table, immediately regretting it since he had no idea what to do with his hands.

“Yeah, I moved here in order to get away from just about everything” he shrugged, looking out the door.

“Why want to get away?” Jorge asked, feeling as though he knew the answer already. He knew because he understood. The feeling of being trapped, unable to get away from where you were. Running was always considered weak, but Jorge found it to be one of the hardest things to do. Getting up and leaving everything behind, not sparing a look back. That’s why Jorge never could do it. That’s why Jorge was still there paying rent on a house he hated and watering plants before going to a job that he hated. He was pulled from his thoughts when Benji began speaking. 

“It’s a rather long story, and I should get going, but thank you, for the lemonade it was amazing” he smiled, following Jorge to the door. 

“I’ll talk to you later” Jorge nodded as though assuring himself that was correct. 

“I plan on it” Benji tipped an invisible hat to Jorge, walking backwards down the stairs. Jorge shut the door almost immediately, leaning against it as though he would turn around and come back. He had barely spoken to anyone by choice in the past year, yet here he was inviting strangers into his house. He grabbed his watering can as he tried to gather his thoughts. 

He poured fresh water onto each plant, the soil soaking it up almost immediately. He couldn’t quite remember the last time he had properly watered them and most had begun to look sickly. Jorge apologized to them under his breath as he picked off dead leaves, tossing them off the balcony. They immediately looked better, at least to him He felt a little better too, having taken care of his small jungle and maybe making a new friend. If Benji wanted to be his friend, which was probably unlikely. The whole interaction between the two had been nothing but awkward, the kind of awkward that hung in the air and had the potential to crush you unless you fixed it. If you left awkwardness like that, it would grow and fester until it was difficult to look at the person. Jorge didn’t want that. He already had to deal with that with his parents and a majority of his co-workers, he could not afford more. 

Once his plants were watered, he grabbed his tennis shoes, lacing them up quickly. He had to get to work soon, and if he didn’t leave now, he would be late.


	3. Two

“Llegas tarde” (You’re late) was the first thing barked at Jorge when he arrived at the studio, causing his face to heat up. Jorge took a deep breath, contemplating whether or not he should tell him why or if he should just apologize. Before he could decide, he began to talk. 

“Montano, y lo siento, es sólo que me iba a ir antes pero mi nuevo vecino pasó por aquí y no pude decirle que se fuera, eso habría sido grosero “ (I know Mr. Montano, and I’m sorry, it’s just I was going to leave sooner but my new neighbour stopped by and I couldn’t tell him to leave, that would’ve been rude)

“No me importa George”(I don’t care) he dismissed, raising his camera, aiming it at the models. 

“Um, e-es Jorge” (It’s Jorge) he corrected, his heart dropping. He had been working at Montano Photography for over three years now, having started as an intern when he was still in high school, and Jonathan, the owner, still didn’t know his name. No matter how many times he reminded him, even it was daily, he’d forgot by the next time he needed something. It made no sense to Jorge since he was asked to be his assistant by the man himself. 

“No me importa, mira, necesito que estos se desarrollen rápidamente, ¿crees que puedes llevarlo a la habitación oscura?” (I don’t care, look, I need these to be developed quickly, do you think you can run it down to the dark room?) he asked, thrusting the camera at him, not caring whether he said yes or no. Jorge nodded, scurrying down the hall, reaching the steps at the end of it. He grabbed his key from his lanyard inserting it into the slot. He really hoped Noen was there today, he didn’t like Harold, the man who did it whenever Noen called in. Noen reminded him of a character in those backward comics from Japan. He was tall and had whitish hair, the tips died purple. He wore baggy clothes that seemed like they blended together. He was tall too, almost half a foot taller than Jorge 

“Noen?” he called quietly, shutting the door quickly as not to disrupt the development. 

“Down here Jey-Jey” he yelled, he sounded distracted.

“Mr. Montano-“

“Just call him dickhead when your down here” Noen suggested, smiling at him, his hair looked   
pink in the red light. Jorge blushed at that.  
“He wants these developed” he finished, handing the film over. Noen nodded, popping the film out easily. Jorge watched in awe as he did that, he had tried to pry open the slot before but couldn’t. 

“I have a new neighbour” he announced, hopping on a stool by the line. 

“That’s great Jey, want to tell me about him?” he asked. Jorge was silent. He did, he really did. He considered Noen to be one of his closest friends, one of his only friends, but he kind of wanted to keep it to himself for a bit. However, he wanted to tell someone. 

“His name is Benjamin” he informed; his hands tucked in his lap. Noen nodded, beginning the process. Jorge was quiet as he worked on blowing up the film. 

“I’m listening, you can keep talking” he suggested. Jorge nodded, chewing his lip.

“He moved to Barcelona to get…away” he nodded. Noen hummed.

“He wouldn’t be the first person to do that” he shrugged. Jorge tilted his head. He didn’t know much about Noen’s past, just what went on the time they knew each other.

“Did you?” he asked, leaning forward slightly. Noen looked up surprised. Jorge wasn’t supposed to hear that. 

“Something like that yeah, my parents were shit and I hated my town, so I hopped on a flight to a place I picked with my eyes closed” he sighed. Jorge nodded. He liked how Noen spoke. Slowly so Jorge understood, but not slow enough so that it made him feel stupid. Jorge understood that, not the leaving part but the parents being shit part. His parents weren’t horrible, but they weren’t very accepting of who Jorge was. That’s why no one else knew. No one else would know.

“So this neighbour, is he cute?” he asked, backtracking. Okay, Noen knew, but that was completely an accident. Jorge had been drunk and he had kissed him. Not his fault, Noen was attractive in every way, but Jorge looked at him more like a brother than a boyfriend. Noen was flattered when Jorge had told him that. 

“I don’t know” he blushed sheepishly, ducking his head. Noen looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “¡Bien! Es muy lindo.” (Fine! He’s very cute) he announced. Noen smirked. He went back to his work, Jorge sitting quietly with his thoughts. He almost forgot he was at work as he got lost in his head, contemplating what he would eat for dinner that night, or if he would eat dinner at all. He jumped when someone called him from the top of the steps. Noen waved absent minded as he hung the photos. 

“Venir” he muttered, seeing it was Syd, one of the makeup artists. “¿Sí?” he asked, squinting at the change of light.

“Jonathan wants you” he informed, disappearing. Jorge rolled his eyes; he had only been gone for ten minutes. His fingertips brushed the wall as he made his way to the main room, seeing Jonathan standing behind the camera as usual. 

“¿Me necesitabas?” (you needed me?) he asked, hoping he wasn’t in trouble. He knew he shouldn’t have stopped and talked to Noen, but he only ever saw him on the weekends or on rare occasions he gets sent down to get film developed. 

“Te envié para que se desarrollaran, no para socializar, si no puedes apagar las distracciones nunca lo lograrás” (I sent you to get those developed, not to socialize, if you can't shut out distractions, you'll never make it) he scolded. 

“Si no lo consigo, no sería por eso” (If I don't get it, that wouldn't be the reason) he muttered. He was glad Jonathan hadn’t heard him, even if he wanted him too. It’s not that he had the desire to get fired, he needed the job and the monthly paycheck, but that didn’t change the fact that Jonathan was an asshole. 

The rest of the shoot went like that, Jorge standing beside Jonathan holding his extra lenses and coffee, following him around so he would catch the barked orders thrown his way. It was tedious work, Jonathan moved fast and often silently leaving Jorge to have to jog to catch up on more than one occasion. It paid off though when Noen asked if he wanted to hang out later. Jorge immediately accepted of course, however he needed to move some of his plants inside before the sunset, or they would get to cold at night and die. Jorge loved his plants, even though sometimes he didn’t feel like taking care of them. Like earlier, and kind of like now. It was so much easier when someone was there to make sure he did it. Noen had agreed to go to Jorge’s house then out for dinner. Jorge always felt better when he was with someone, it was when he was alone that the thoughts turned to quicksand and pulled him in slowly until his was up too his neck in suffocating words he created. 

The air outside felt more like fall than summer, leaving Jorge to regret wearing shorts. The sun was still out but barely casting a deep purple-pink shadow over the city looking as though the sky had turned into an unripe plum. It was beautiful. 

“So, why are we going back to yours?” Noen asked as they walked down the sidewalk

“My plants will get cold if I don’t bring them in” he said, his hands deep in his jacket pockets. Noen nodded. 

“Maybe I’ll meet Benji” he smirked, nudging Jorge gently.

“Shut up!” he said, his accent thick. Noen laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. He wouldn’t stop, but he’d give it a break. For now. 

As Noen had hoped, when they made it to Jorge’s stoop, they saw Benji neck door, struggling to unlock his door. Jorge was rather keen on the idea of not speaking to him, since he was completely occupied with the door, but Noen had other plans.

“Would you like some help?” he asked, looking at him from the foot of the steps. Benji jumped, lightly startled, and looked at Noen.

“No tha- Jorge! Hi!” he scrambled down the stairs, almost falling on his face in the process, a huge smile on his face. Jorge smiled politely, nodding at him.

“Hola Benjamin” he greeted quietly, looking at the ground.

“I’m sorry I just ran out this morning, but I was going to be late for a job interview, which wasn’t much of an interview more of an oh you have two hands you have the job” he rambled Jorge nodding along only understanding half of what he was saying due to how fast he was saying it.

“You have paint on your cheek” he informed once Benji stopped talking. 

“Oh! Ha-ha yeah” he blushed, scrubbing his cheek with the palm of his hands. “Who’s this?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, this is my friend Noen, we work together” he introduced, gesturing for Noen to talk. 

“Hi, nice to meet you” Noen stuck his hand out to shake Benji’s. 

“Well, help would be nice actually, the lock keeps getting stuck” he held the key out, only for Jorge to grab it before Noen could. Jorge had some experience with sticking locks, his used to do it when he first moved in as well since no one had lived there in years. Noen just shrugged at Benji, following Jorge to his apartment. 

Before Jorge stuck the key in, he turned the knob twice, once in each direction, and pushed on it. He then slid the key in, turning the knob again, then turned the actual key. The faint grinding of the door unlocking was heard in the silence, and Jorge pushed it open. 

“There you go” he announced, pulling the key out and handing it to Benji. Benji looked at Jorge in awe, which wasn’t very different than how he looked at him before. 

“Gracias Jorge” he smiled, wanting to speak more Spanish when with him. Jorge nodded. 

“Mi placer, buenas noches” (My pleasure, good night) he nodded, turning to walk away.

“Hold on” Noen exclaimed, his hand on Jorge’s chest to keep him from walking any farther. Jorge frowned at Noen. Benji was nice and all, but he was awkward. He wasn’t good around new people; he could never think of anything to talk about. “Jorge and I was going to go grab some dinner in town, if you wanted to join us?” Noen asked politely. They couldn’t just leave, it would be rude, Jorge’s anger be damned.

“Oh, I already ate maybe next time” he smiled at him. Noen nodded.

“Are you sure? We could always grab a quick bite and then do something else” he suggested. Benji shook his head, looking at Jorge who seemed ready to run at any given moment.

“That’s okay, really” he insisted, reaching into the apartment and flipping on the hall light. 

“Oh okay, well it was nice to meet you” Noen informed, letting go of Jorge who stood there as though he was unable to move. Before Benji disappeared into the house though, Jorge, as if driven by some invisible force, kissed Benji’s cheek soft and quick, in the way he had seen friends do on TV.

“Bienvenido al Benjamín del barrio” (welcome to the neighbourhood Benjamin) he said softly, his cheeks flaming. 

“Thanks” he said dumbly, watching the two walk away. He entered his apartment, his fingertips touching the place where Jorge’s lips had been.


	4. Chapter: 3

“You really kissed him” Noen exclaimed as Jorge switched his plants, setting them on his dresser. 

“Sólo estaba en la mejilla”(It was just on the cheek) he shrugged, although someone was doing gymnastic routines in his stomach. 

“On the cheek my ass! You could feel the tension” he exclaimed, throwing himself backwards on Jorge’s daybed.

“Tension? We met this morning” he rolled his eyes, pulling his shorts off. Noen leaned back on his hands, watching him critically. 

“That means you definitely have something! The tension was that strong, it felt like he was married, and you were his mistress and you ran into him on an outing with his wife after he promised to leave her for you” Noen described. Jorge scoffed, an amused smile on his face. He had no clue what he was on about, but the dopey smile on his face was enough to make him laugh. 

“You are to into this” Jorge accused, pulling on a plain sweater and jeans, tugging on his Keds. “Are we going to dinner or not?” Jorge asked, earning a nod from Noen. He jumped up, running his finger through his hair. 

“I am not! It’s just nothing ever happens around here, and a good love story might spice things up” he decided, following Jorge out the door. 

“You really need to get your head out of the dark room, Noen” Jorge suggested, looking to Benji’s apartment, seeing that there was a light on. He kind of wished he was outside again so that he could tag along but was kind of glad he wasn’t.

“I asked if he wanted to go, he said he already ate” Noen informed, even though Jorge had been right there. Jorge nodded, and looked away. 

“So, where are we eating?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. Noen stood on the top of the steps, thinking. This was always Jorge’s least favourite part. 

“We could go to La Lola?” Noen asked, shrugging. Jorge nodded.

“Sure, I mean, it’s close” he agreed. The streetlamps began powering on, bathing the sidewalk in warm yellow light. 

“What time is it?” Noen asked, checking his watch. 

“Almost eight, when’s the diner close?” Jorge asked looking at the sky as the last of the dying sun ducked behind the horizon.

“Eleven I think, so we’re good, but we should get going now” Noen nodded, joining Jorge at the foot of the stairs. They set down the sidewalk, neither talking very much. The diner wasn’t very far only a few blocks from Jorge’s flat. The street was practically empty, a car passing every few minutes. There was a certain quiet that fell over the city at night. Jorge wasn’t sure why, not even when, it started, but there seemed to be an unspoken rule at night not to go out. Sometimes, it made Jorge guilty for leaving his house after dark, then he’d scold himself about it. It really was peaceful. 

“What do you think Benji’s doing?” Noen spoke up, enlisting a groan from Jorge.

“Lets stop talking about him, okay?” he practically begged. Benji already took up too much space in his mind for having only met him that morning, he really didn’t need to talk about him. Noen raised his palms in surrender as the neon sign advertising the diners name. 

“He’s probably asleep anyway” Jorge offered, smiling at Noen softly. Noen laughed, holding the door open for him.

The diner was pretty empty for a weekday, since it was normally bustling this time of day. They easily found seats, when usually you had to wait ten or fifteen minutes to get a table. Noen began talking as soon as they sat down, his voice a hushed whisper. 

“Okay, so you know how I was talking to you the other day about that man who came up to me in the street?” Noen asked, his eyes dancing. Jorge nodded, even though he didn’t. this sounded interesting.

“Well, he rang me the other day, and you’ll never believe what he wants” he announced. Multiple things, multiple bad things, ran through Jorge’s mind.  
“I don’t want to know, it’s probably bad, like sex or something” Jorge frowned. 

“Sex isn’t bad Jorge, as long as you do it with the right person” he said, winking suggestively. Meaning he knew someone right. Meaning Benji. Jorge kicked him beneath the table. Noen’s eyes widened and he kicked back, missing his leg and hitting the table instead, causing it to jerk. 

“He wanted me to come work for his magazine, apparently his developer quit recently, and he needs one, he said he reads Moda de Barcelona, and wants me to come work for him” he wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Vas a dejarme!” (You’re going to leave me!) he frowned.

“I haven’t even gotten to the best part! I convinced him to take you with me, he has an opening for a photographer, nothing big mainly small projects like good places to stay in the city and shit, but it could be good!” Noen hit his arm. Jorge looked caught.

“I don’t know Noen, why did you just tell me this instead of when I spoke to you earlier?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. 

“Well, it completely slipped my mind” he defended himself, looking hopeful. 

“We’ve been hanging out since we got off” Jorge pointed out. 

“Okay fine, if you don’t want the pay raise, that’s up to you” Noen shrugged. A strike of curiosity shot through Jorge’s eyes. 

“How high is said raise?” he asked, leaning forward again. 

“He was talking 16,000 a year” Noen announced. “And that’s only the beginning, as we work there, we’ll get raises and bonuses and who knows what else” Noen smiled. 

“I still don’t know , I mean come on, I can’t just quit. Jonathan needs me” Jorge said. 

“Oh fuck Jonathan! He runs you like a dog, and he doesn’t even call you by your name, he calls you George” Noen frowned.

“He’s teaching me” Jorge said.

“He’s teaching you to be a pacifist errand boy, Jey-Jey come on! Stop getting in your own way” Noen scolded as their waitress walked over.

“Buenas noches, soy Jasmine, seré tu sirviente hoy, ¿puedo empezar con un trago?” (Good evening, I’m Jasmine, I’ll be your server today, can I start you off with a drink?)she asked, blowing a bubble with her bright pink gum.

“Tomaré coca, por favor.” (I’ll have coke please) Noen smiled.

“Tomaré un té dulce” (I’ll take a sweet tea) Jorge said, turning back to Noen.

“Come on!” Noen begged, his hands clasped in front of his chest. “Their switching buildings, so everyone will be trying to get to know the place if that’s what your worried about” Noen reassured. 

“That’s not what I’m worried about” Jorge rolled his eyes. It wasn’t Noen’s fault, it was a good opportunity, Jorge knew that. He just had a problem of getting in his own way, making up reasons why he shouldn’t do things, coming up with cons when there were only pros. Jasmine came back with there drinks and took their food orders, only seeming slightly annoyed when Noen asked for her to put the toppings for his burger on the side. 

“So, you in?” he asked, leaning against the table.

“I’ll think about it” he promised, but all he could think about was Benji. He wanted to go at least a few hours without thinking about anything. This new job opportunity as well as his cute neighbour would have to wait. Right now, he just wanted to spend time talking about nothing with Noen. He told Noen just as much. He seemed disappointed, but it disappeared when their food arrived. 

*

Jorge got home late that night, having left the diner at half past ten and taking a walk-through Parc de Montjuic for a while. Luckily, Noen did bring up the magazine or Benji for the rest of the evening, only referencing relationships once when he joked about how they looked like a couple. They spent the rest of the walk holding hands and saying cheesy things couples always said. They ended the night laughing until they cried, parting ways on the corner of Jorge’s street. It was nearly midnight when he got into bed, running the events of the day over in his mind, only cringing at some parts. He had a relatively good day, but the weight on his chest was back. The weight that blocked the sun in the sky bathing his world in a dark grey overcast, threatening rain any moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The places are real, but whether they are located in the right place for them to go in one trip while walking, I don't know. Also, the part about the pay raise, I have no idea what the average annual salary is in Barcelona so I just guessed. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, sorry it took so long : )


	5. Chapter: 4

Not going was a choice, a choice so tempting it made his stomach fill with butterflies. He could stay home, try to deal with whatever he had to deal with. Jorge seriously considered this choice, until there was a knock to his door, and he came back to the place he lived known as Earth, because if you stayed in the clouds to long you would become one. 

“Ya voy!” (Coming) he called, pushing himself out of bed. He had been lying awake in bed for the better half of an hour and his legs were stiff. He wrestled with lock before he was able to pull the door open, revealing Benji. He was wearing dark blue overalls and a Madonna t-shirt. 

“Buenos Dias!”(good morning) he smiled, all too happy for so early in the morning. Jorge nodded, squinting against the sunlight.

“Uh, um, just wanted to wish you good morning” he nodded awkwardly, his cheeks red.

“Good morning, Benjamin” Jorge smiled at him. Benji smiled, ducking his head. 

“Aw, shucks” he mumbled. “If your not busy later, we should do something” he blurted out, smiling hopefully. Jorge chewed his lip. He really didn’t want to do anything that involved getting out of bed, but he felt as though he had been rude to Benji the night before. He found himself nodding, smiling at how happy he looked. 

“Okay, okay, okay” he stammered. He was looking at anything but Jorge, more than likely planning out whatever they would do. “I get off work at four, so if you just tell me when you get off that would be great and we can meet up here and figure it out then” he said, looking at his watch. 

“I get off at five” he informed, not hating the way he fluttered around.

“Okay” he repeated, tripping down the stairs, spinning around, scratching his neck sheepishly. “Okay” he nodded, walking back to his apartment, daring a glance back over his shoulder before disappearing inside. Jorge shut his door, smiling bright. The happiness was soon replaced with anxiety. What would he wear? Was it a date? Casual? Black-tie? Staying home from work was no longer an option, he had to talk to Noen. 

*

“No way! You got date with Benji? Already?” he exclaimed Jorge nodded. He was two seconds away from panicking. 

“¡Ni siquiera sé si es una cita! ¿Cómo puedo saber qué ponerme si ni siquiera sé lo que pasa si me equivoco y él tiene la idea equivocada y todo es "quién no es una cita" y me siento avergonzado?” (I don't even know if it's a date! How can I know what to wear if I don't even know? what happens if I'm wrong and he's got the wrong idea and it's "whoa it’s not a date" and I'm embarrassed?) he ranted pacing along the room. 

“Jorge, I only understood half of that” Noen informed, pushing his glasses up his nose. Jorge plopped down on his stool. 

“Do you need a hug?” Noen asked. Jorge just huffed. Noen spread his arms, nodding.

“Come on” he smiled, walking over, wrapping his arms around Jorge’s shoulders. Jorge 

“Seriously?” he asked, but it was muffled by Noen’s shirt. Noen pulled away, shaking Jorge by the shoulders. 

“You got this man! Where you cutest outfit and paint the town red, if not for you, for me” Noen ordered. Jorge inhaled. 

“Okay” he nodded and smiled at the word. 

“Good, so where are you guys going?” he asked, smiling. Jorge shrugged. 

“Well, may I suggest-“

“No, no romantic places Noen, Benji is planning this, not you” Jorge reminded. Noen nodded bashfully. 

“Sorry, I just really need something interesting to happen” he said. “Have you thought anymore about my offer?” he asked. Jorge nodded, even though he hadn’t. He had honestly forgotten about it. 

“Noen-“

“I won’t let you let this go, Jorge, and I’m not going unless you do” he informed, hanging up photos.

“Noen, don’t put me in that position” he complained. Noen just shrugged, going back to work. Since he had gotten no where with that, he went back upstairs to do whatever Jonathan needed at the moment. He was standing by a light, looking through the pictures in his camera, frowning.

“George, ahora” (George, now) he barked. Jorge inhaled sharply. He really was tired of that. He decided then, maybe he had decided already he just hadn’t known before then; he was going to quit. After he figured out what Jonathan wanted of course. 

*

“Noen, I’m in” he called from the top of the stairs, he shut it just as the beginning of Noen’s victory dance began. 

*

Jorge walked home alone since Noen had to get home fast so he could call the man from the other company, Sebastian, he said. The thing about Noen’s excitement was he would begin talking to fast and Jorge was never able to understand what he was saying. His worry and doubt faded as he approached his apartment to find Benji unlocking his own. 

“Benjamin!” he smiled, waving. Benji turned to him, an easy smile spreading across his face and reaching his eyes. 

“Jorge” he replied, walking down his stairs. His overalls were splattered with white paint, in fact he had paint everywhere. There were spots of it on his overalls, his shirt, there as even paint on bit cheek and arms. 

“Eres tan desordenado Benjamin!” (you’re so messy Benjamin) he pointed out. Benji looked down, laughing. 

“Oh, this” he shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets. No one should look that good in overalls. “Don’t worry, I’m showering before we go” he chuckled. Jorge smiled sheepishly. 

“Me too” he nodded; he hadn’t meant to embarrass him. He mentally kicked himself. “Where are we going anyway?” he asked. Benji’s eyes lit up.

“It’s a surprise” he informed. Jorge smirked. 

“De acuerdo, mientras no me mates.” (Alright, as long as you don’t murder me) Jorge joked. Benji laughed.

“Of course not, I could never” he promised. They stood there in silence for a few moments before Jorge awkwardly gestured to his door. 

“I should go get ready” he said, standing on the first step. Benji nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, me too” he nodded, going to his own door. Jorge smiled as he pushed into his home, tossing his keys on the table beside it. The interaction had been uncomfortable, but Jorge hadn’t hated it. It was as though it was a good awkward, the kind that only exist because of the anticipation running through their veins. Jorge pulled his clothes off as he made his way to his bathroom, starting the water and stepping under it. The warm spray ran over his body and he sighed. He still had no idea what to wear, had no idea this was exactly, but he suddenly didn’t mind not knowing. It was a part of the surprise. It wouldn’t be fun if he knew, would it?

After his shower, Jorge spent nearly half an hour pulling clothes out of his dresser and trying them on. He had been looking at himself in the mirror that hung on his door for so long, he barely recognized his face, like when you say a word so many times it doesn’t sound like a word anymore. He ended up wearing a burgundy, blue, and crème button up tucked into dark jeans. He pulled on his best black shoes looking in the mirror. He was missing something. He frowned, staring at his nobody. With a slight nod, he went to his dresser grabbing his gold ankle bracelet he had gotten from his grandmother. He bent down, clipping it on, smiling as it fell in the space between his pants and his shoes. Better. He added his favourite watch because time was a thing, and so was having to wake up early for work. Maybe. He wasn’t sure at the moment, but he was sure about the feelings he had. He had a cute maybe date getting ready next door and a new job with better pay and a better atmosphere hopefully. He smiled as he picked the weeds out of his spider plant tastefully named Peter. 

Benji knocked on his door minutes later. Jorge’s stomach was fulling of butterflies with cutting knives as wings. He pulled it open, his eyes widening at the sight before him. Benji was wearing a pair of black jeans with a blue and black button up, the first few buttons undone, and two silver chains around his neck. He was breathtaking. He looked like someone Jorge wouldn’t to cross but being on his good side would be the best thing that ever happened to him. 

“Hey” he breathed, swallowing. Benji smiled and ruined the façade of a bad boy, replacing it with the unthreatening Benji he always was. Jorge preferred it that way. 

“You look great’ Benji complimented. Jorge blushed.

“So do you” he returned, stepping outside. The air was still warm, the sun still bright. 

“Come on” Benji suggested, walking over to a dark green Fairmont Jorge hadn’t seen before. 

“Is this your car?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“She’s not the best, but she runs” he shrugged, opening the passenger door for Jorge, who got in somewhat relunctantly. He hadn’t been in a car in almost ten years. When he was a kid he only ever got in a car when he and his family were going on trips, since they lived so close to everything walking was just easier. Benji got into the drivers seat, revving the engine. Jorge watched him work the stick shift as he made his way up the road. They road in silence for a while until Jorge reached forward cutting on the radio. The quiet filler noise was almost worse than the silence since it was some rap song about having a lot of money and Jorge was to awkward to reach forward again and change it. He sat in the car for a few minutes, thinking about how this was the first song they were listening to together. That information was enough to propel him forward and change the station quickly. He found a station that was playing a slower song, this one about young love and how if you loved someone let them know. Jorge liked this one better than the last one and left it. They road for a few moments longer, until Benji took a left turn onto a side road Jorge had never travelled down and continued driving until the road turned to gravel then tightly compacted dirt. Finally they reached a clearing covered in different flowers and high grass. The sun was beginning to set, giving everything an ethereal look. Jorge gasped, looking around. It was so pretty. 

“Benji” he whispered, as though speaking to loud would disturb the area. 

“I asked a few guys from work what a nice place would be to go for a date, and they sent me here” he said, watching Jorge’s face to gauge his reaction to his words. Jorge just smiled.

“Su hermoso Benjamín, tan hermoso” (it’s beautiful Benjamin, so beautiful) Jorge said, looking at his profile. He meant so much more than the field and part of him felt that Benji knew th


	6. Chapter: 5

Jorge got out the car, looking around in awe. How had he never seen this place? Benji got out as well, reaching in the back and pulling out a picnic basket Jorge hadn’t even realized had been there. Jorge followed Benji until they were in the centre of the field, where Benji set the basket down and sat. Jorge looked at him for a moment, then at the ground. It hadn’t rained recently, so maybe he could avoid an awkward wet spot on the seat of his pants. He sat, crossing his legs. The grass and flowers surrounding them reminded Jorge of the summer months when he was a kid and his mom would take him and his siblings to Parque del Laberint d'Horta, the few times he had felt free. They sat in silence for what felt like years, before Benji spoke up.

“You don’t have allergies, do you?” he sked, sounding genuinely concerned. The question struck Jorge as odd, since they were already there, it seemed like he had only just thoguht to ask. 

“Doesn’t all people have them?” he asked, tilting his head. Benji smiled. 

“Speak Spanish with me” he suggested, his voice soft and low. Jorge bit his lip. No one had ever specifically asked for him to use Spanish with them, especially if it wasn’t their first language, every one preferred English if they didn’t speak it fluently. It made it easier on them, no matter how trying it was on Jorge’s end. 

“Why?” he asked. Benji smiled sheepishly. 

“Su hermosa” he copied Jorge’s earlier words. Jorge blushed ducking his head. He had the sudden urge to kiss him again, on the lips this time. Wanted to tumble into the flowers and get lost in the smell of the Salvia and Forget-Me-Nots as he fell farther into orbit inside the universe known as Benji because after just a day he found himself enamoured by his presence and that damn smile. Jorge could’ve sworn Benji single handedly hung the sun and moon and used the stars in his eyes for the stars in the sky, and Jorge didn’t know what to do with beauty like that.

“ De acuerdo” he agreed, smiling. Benji returned the smile, turning his face to the sky, locating the first stars as they appeared. Jorge followed his gaze, sighing. It was so peaceful. Jorge returned his gaze to Benji, watching his Adams apple move as he swallowed. Jorge rested his head on his hand, a smile on his lips that he hadn’t realized he was wearing until Benji looked down, smiling.

“What?” he asked, blushing brightly. Jorge shook his head, sitting up. 

“Anyway, I made some pasta” he announced, moving to the basket. Jorge laughed at how abruptly the topic changed. “I’m not that great of a cook, but the recipe wasn’t to hard to follow” he smiled, pulling out hard plastic Tupperware container and two dishes to eat it on. Jorge accepted the plate of strange looking pasta, asking what it was. “Well, its supposed to be creamy pasta, it has garlic and I think a shallot, I don’t know, I’m not even sure what a shallot is” he shrugged. Jorge ate one of the cherry tomatoes, smiling. He loved tomatoes, that and bananas. His eyes lit up in amazement. It was surprisingly good, a little cold, but still amazing. 

“Es muy bueno” (it’s very good) he complimented, smiling at him in the dying light. Benji must not have thought that one through, since they were steadily being shrouded in darkness. 

“Wait one moment” Benji announced, standing up and brushing the seat of his pants off. Jorge grew uneasy when he heard Benji’s footsteps fade and the car engine start up. He scolded himself for worrying, Benji wouldn’t just leave him in the middle of a field somewhere. He jumped when the headlights turned on bathing him in the war orange glow. He heard Benji laugh in the distance, before he jogged back over.

“I didn’t mean to startle you” he smiled, sitting down. 

“Estás bien.” (you’re fine) he laughed at himself. He was being childish. The two were quiet, the only sound was cicadas chirping and the hooting of some late-night owls. If you listened close enough you could here the pattering of squirrels as they scrambled up trees and the flapping of bat wings as they flew in search of food. 

“¿Qué te parece Barcelona?” (how do you like Barcelona) Jorge asked, sipping some of the lemonade Benji brought. It was a little sour, but it was good. 

“Oh, I love it here, everyone is so nice and welcoming” he smiled. His eyes looked like honey in the headlights. Jorge nodded. “What bout you? I know you’ve lived here for a while, but do you like it?” he asked, tilting his head. 

“El amor es una palabra fuerte” (love is a strong word) he said, glancing away from Benji “Quiero decir, es mi hogar, pero siempre fantaseaba con mudarme de aquí, y supongo que todavía lo hago a veces” (I mean, it's my home, but I always fantasized about moving out of here, and I guess I still do it sometimes) he admitted. Benji nodded. He understood that feeling. 

“Where would you go?” Benji asked, leaning back on his hands, his bowl cast aside haphazardly. 

“Francia o Irlanda tal vez, siempre he querido visitar Skelling Michael” (France or Ireland maybe, I’ve always wanted to visit Skellig Michael) he shrugged. Benji nodded, even though he had no idea what Skellig Michael was, he said just as much.

“La isla con los escalones de piedra natural” (the island with the natural stone steps_ Jorge described, smiling at the confused look on his face.

“Where did you hear about this?” Benji wondered, his hair flopping boyishly into his eyes.

“Leí sobre” (I read about it) he informed. They stared at each other a moment before Jorge looked away, leaving Benji looking triumphant. A small ball of light suddenly appeared before extinguishing and appearing a few feet away. Jorge smiled, memories erupting in his head. He jumped up, holding his hand out to Benji, who accepted albeit unsure as to what was happening.

“Luciérnagas” (Fireflies) was all he said before jogging away. Benji smiled, he hadn’t caught Fireflies since he was a kid, and the prospect of doing just that ignited a sharp twinge of nostalgia that had Benji close to tears. It was wonderful. He went to the car, cutting the headlights so the bugs would appear brighter and chased after Jorge. Jorge had one hand cupped over the other, signalling he had gotten one. Benji smiled. 

“obtener algo” (Get something) he ordered. Benji quickly retrieved the mason jar that had the lemonade in it and rinsed it out with one of the water bottles he had brought. He grabbed a piece of cheese cloth, using it to cover the jar when Jorge put the two fireflies he caught inside. They lit up and flew around the jar carelessly. Within the next few minutes the jar had become full of the bugs, lighting up and flying around together. They sat on the hood of the car, Jorge holding the jar in his lap. 

“La mejor parte aún no ha llegado.” (The best part hasn’t come yet) he announced. Benji frowned. He thought this was the best part, it was always downhill from there because the bugs always died. Jorge sat there for a few more minutes, before getting up and walking over to the centre of the field, Benji staying by the car. Jorge looked back at Benji for a moment, before slowly sliding the cloth away, holding the jar up. Benji made his way over as the fireflies fought there way out of the jar, lighting up collectively. Jorge turned his head, looking at Benji. Before he could think about what was happening, Benji’s lips were on his. Benji’s fingers gently tilted his head up, getting a better angle. As they kissed beneath the firefly lights, Jorge decided then that he loved Benji. He wasn’t aware of this decision being made, if he had been, he would’ve denounced himself as crazy for loving this man so much after he knocked on his door the first time the day before. But something somewhere deep inside of him woke up beneath Benji’s soft lips and soothing touch. Something that, given a few days, would crave for the taste of Benji’s lips again. 

*

“I had a great time tonight” Benji said as he walked Jorge to his door. 

“al igual que yo” (as did I) Jorge nodded, turning so they were facing each other, Jorge on the top step and Benji on the third so Jorge was a few inches taller than him. Benji looked up, happier, he was convinced, than he had ever been before. 

“Can I call you?” he asked, chewing his lip.

“somos vecinos de al lado” (We live next door to each other) Jorge smiled. “acaba de venir’ (just come over) he added, pecking Benji’s lips softly before turning to unlock his door. 

“Good night Jorge” Benji bid farewell, beginning the walk next door, touching his lips and trying to contain his smile. 

“Buenas noches, Benjamin” (Good night Benjamin) he replied, waving and walking inside.


	7. Chapter: 6

“I can’t believe you kissed him!” Noen exclaimed over the phone the next morning, giving Jorge wild sense of Déjà vu. 

“Me either, but I did, twice, Noen, it’s only been three days I’ve known him, but I like him already, so much” he explained. 

“Maybe it’s true love” Noen cooed through the line, Jorge could here his smile. 

“I’m serious, Noen, what if things are moving to fast?” he asked. 

“It’s not, don’t worry, I’ll be there in ten to pick you up for our first day at Amor, Rosa”(Love, Rose) he informed. Jorge sighed, twirling the line around his finger, the tip growing purple and cold. He let it unravel before recognizing that he heard the question and hung up. He grabbed a nice pair of high waisted jean shorts, and tucking a Rolling Stones t-shirt in. He pulled on his All Stars, finger combing his hair before leaving the house. He was going to wish Benji a good morning like Benji had to him the morning before. He took the stairs two at a time, knocking on the door nervously. He waited patiently, frowning when a girl opened the door. She was really pretty, with long honey coloured hair and deep hazel eyes. 

“You are?” she asked. She was wearing a large shirt the fell mid-thigh. By the looks of it she was not wearing anything else. 

“Soy Jorge” he informed, his heart pounding. “Vivo al lado, ¿venía a ver a Benjamin?” he explained, sounding unsure. 

“English, please?” she asked, not too nicely. Jorge pouted.

“I’m Jorge, I live next door, I was coming to see Benjamin” he repeated, in English. 

“Well, Benjamin is sleeping” she smiled. 

“No I’m not, and don’t call me Benjamin” he frowned, appearing in the doorway in the middle of pulling on a shirt. “Jorge!” he exclaimed, moving in front of the girl, smiling. 

“Uh, good morning” he mumbled, string at the ground. 

“Morning” Benji frowned. “Are you okay?” he asked, reaching forward and gently tilting Jorge’s face up. He jerked away.

“I’m fine, I-“

“Beep, beep, Jorge” Noen greeted from the foot of the stairs, giving Benji a two fingered salute. Benji waved, crossing his arms. 

“I got to go” he informed, going down the stairs as fast as possible, all but running down the sidewalk.

“Whoa, Jeyjey, slow down, what’s wrong?” Noen asked, catching up to him. Jorge shook his head. His clenched fist said otherwise. Noen dropped it for now, mentally making a note to bring it up later. 

The walk to Amor, Rosa, was not very long, but it felt like an eternity in the silence that Jorge silently demanded. They reached the studio, staring in awe at the large three-story building. It was made of stone, making it look ancient and lovely. Ivy had begun making its way up the front, but it looked intentional. Jorge did not bother admiring the place, just walked in, leaving Noen out front. He realised what a mistake it was when he remembered he had no idea what this place was. 

“¿Te puedo ayudar?” (Can I help you) a small round-faced girl asked, her fire red hair pulled into a bun on top of her hair. Jorge looked at her for a moment, before turning around and walking bac out, where Noen was still observing every detail of the structure. 

“Noen” he called, grabbing the taller’s attention. 

“Sorry” he exclaimed, following him inside. The same receptionist smiled at them, albeit warily. She repeated her previous question. 

“Sí, somos nuevos, Sebastian me dijo que lo encontrara en su oficina esta mañana.” (Yes, we are new, Sebastian told me to meet him in his office this morning) Noen explained, smiling at her. Everyone liked Noen, Jorge found himself thinking. He was so nice to everyone, and he had a smile that made you want to do anything for him. 

“Justo de esta manera” she nodded, standing u and leading them to an elevator. They rode in silence to the third floor, where the doors opened into an large open space. The whole room was white, except for the far wall which was made fully of glass. There were picture lights set up on ne side of the room, and a man was loading a camera with film. 

“Señor” the receptionist said, gaining his attention. He looked rather young to have his own business. He had feathery white blonde hair and large glasses. He was cute, Jorge especially loved his outfit, a black sheer shirt and dark grey jeans. 

“You must be Jorge” he smiled, holding his hand out. Jorge shook it, smiling. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Noen has told me so much about you and your skills” he informed, softly dismissing the receptionist, Francis, from the room. 

“Yeah” Jorge said awkwardly, glancing around the room. 

“Anyway, normally I would not see new workers, because I am busy, busy, busy, but you two are different. I didn’t hire you because pf your resume I hired you because of your work” he informed. Jorge did not point out the fact that he had never done any work for him to see. “I just wanted to give you two your things personally” he smiled, going to his desk and picking up a camera and a set of keys. He handed the camera to Jorge and gave Noen the keys. Jorge frowned, looking at the expensive looking camera. “What, you don’t like it?” Sebastian asked, sounding a little nervous. 

“Oh, no, I do, I just, I can’t take this” he tried handing it back, but Sebastian just pushed his hand back gently.

“Come on, please?” he asked, his eyes were so gentle and warm how could Jorge refuse. He smiled shyly, looking at the ground. “Jorge, you will come to me on Monday mornings for your assignment for the week, you will then give your camera to Noen to develop the film. Of course, Noen, you will have other things to develop besides Jorge’s work, but when he comes in, you immediately develop it, okay?” he asked. The boys nodded. “Alright, the first assignment that I need you to do Jorge is go to town square, they are refurbishing the old library, I want you to get some pictures of the workers, we’re featuring an article about revamping the city, we’re going to call it Angels in Overalls” he said like it was the best idea over. It was quite clever, but Jorge kept quiet. 

“off you two go” he shooed them away, smiling proudly at them. Jorge followed Noen out the door, shutting it quietly. 

It did not take Jorge long to get to the old library, he had often gone there when he was in college to study, it ha always been silent and smelled like old books. Practically the definition of nostalgia, except the kind you never knew would effect you until you were elbow deep in a pile of books and bawling your eyes out because of a memory you felt rather than remembered. There were numerous men on ladders, painting and talking to one another. They seemed to eb having fun. Jorge liked that. He raised the camera to his eye, focusing on two men, one was holding a bucket of paint out for him to get some. Jorge found it rather intimate somehow. He could not explain it, but it was there. He snapped a few more photos daring to get closer, focusing on the men on the ground, spotting the ladders, looking rather calm and serious. 

“Um, excuse me?” a voice said, sounding gruff right next to Jorge, startling him.

“S-si?” he asked, facing him. The man was tall, with short cut white hair. He had a five o’clock shadow the same colour as his hair, his skin was sun tanned and he had wrinkles around his eyes. He was rather attractive for an older guy. 

“Who are you?” he asked, eyeing the camera. Jorge instinctively held it closer to his chest. 

“I was sent down here on an assignment, to get photos of the workers for the next issue of Amor, Rosa” he explained. At the mention of the company he smiled.

“Sebastian sent you” he said, chuckling gently. “That boy, I swear, he’ll be the death of me. Stay as long as you like, take as many photos as you like” he smiled. “Oh, and when you get back tell him, that I said keep it light and quick, Peaches, he’ll know what I mean” he winked before walking away. He was gone before Jorge realized he had not gotten his name. It was not that important, if Sebastian knew what it meant that is. He rose the camera again, focusing on a familiar mop of messy inky brown curls. He lowered the camera as he jumped off, wiping sweat from his forehead. He turned around, catching Jorge’s gaze before he could move. He smiled, jogging over. Today he was wearing the same overalls just with a multi coloured striped t-shirt. 

“Jorge!” he exclaimed happily. Jorge could not get rid of the scowl on his face. Benji frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked, wiping his hands on his jeans. 

What was wrong? What was wrong was the fact that a half-naked woman answered his door this morning, what was wrong was he was extremely jealous over that even though Benji was obviously gay, what was wrong was he looked to good in those overalls for it to be allowed and he caught himself checking him out at least three times already.

“Nothing’ he muttered, moving around Benji to get more shots. He had not anticipated for Benji to follow him.

“It doesn’t seem like nothing; did I do something to make you mad?” he asked nervously. Jorge ignored the question, raising the camera again and getting more shots of the painters. “Jorge come on, talk to me” Benji pleaded. He should not have been so worked up over a little silence, but the dreaded feeling that he did something wrong was weighing heavy on his heart. 

“Later, okay, I’m busy” he mumbled, walking away again, going to get pictures of the ones painting the lower parts of the building.

It did not take long for him to finish up, and as soon as he had, he hightailed it back to Amor, Rosa, not wanting to be bombarded by Benji again. Not that his presence was a bombardment, he was just not in the mood to hear from him at the moment. After getting directions from Francis, he made his way down to the dark room, knocking before walking in. 

“Noen, I’ve got the photos” he announced, smiling when he saw Noen had made himself right at home in the room, his glasses slipping down his nose. 

“Bring them here” he said, not looking up from the solution. Jorge did just that, giving him the camera and grabbing a stool from the corner. It was just like the old times at Jonathans magazine, except the room was bigger. 

“Benji was there” he announced, excepting the fact that Noen was officially the audience to this so-called love story. He looked up; an eyebrow raised. 

“What happened?” he asked, a hint of excitement in his voice. 

“I ignored him” he shrugged. Noen frowned. 

“What? Why?” he exclaimed. 

“This morning when I knocked on the door some half naked girl opened it, was rude to me, and Benji didn’t even care” he shrugged. “Didn’t even introduce us, he doesn’t even care” he shrugged, picking at a loosed string on his shirt. Noen sighed. 

“He probably wasn’t aware, have you told Sebastian you’re back?” he asked, hanging up the photos he had been working on when Jorge arrived. 

“No, but I probably should, this man told me to deliver a message to him” he shrugged. 

“What was it?” Noen questioned. 

“He told me to tell him to ‘Keep it light and quick, peaches’ that he would know what he meant” Jorge shrugged. 

“Ooh, sounds like a lover” Noen wiggled his eyebrows causing Jorge to laugh. 

“Might be, I don’t know” he shrugged going upstairs. 

Sebastian turned a dark shade of pink and giggled behind his hand when Jorge told him. 

“I should call him, see what he’s up too tonight” he thought out loud. He had a glint in his eye that made Jorge think of Benji and the way he held him close the night before. He sighed. “What’s the matter, hon?” Sebastian frowned, leaning against the wall. Jorge was not sure what possessed him to tell Sebastian everything, but that is exactly what he did, starting from the day they went topping at when eh ignored him at the library. 

“Oh, my” Sebastian said, sitting on his desk. “Sounds like your in deep, or ahogando in devoción as my grandmother used to say” he smiled. Jorge nodded. 

“Sounds like it, doesn’t it?” he asked. “But how did it happen so fast?” he complained, burying his head in his hands. 

“You can’t slow love down just like you cant rush it, it just happens and when it does, you’re either left blindsided or accepting of it” Sebastian explained. Jorge nodded. 

“I guess” he pouted. Sebastian was great. Jorge was practically being paid to go to therapy, he smiled at that. “Is there anything else you need me to do?” he asked. 

“When I look at those pictures, I’ll let you know” he promised. Jorge nodded, leaving quietly. He felt a little better. It seemed as though Sebastian had known what he was going through, as if he had gone through it himself. Jorge stepped into the elevator preparing to spend the rest of the day in the dark room with Noen. 

*

Jorge did, in fact, send the rest of the day with Noen. He understood why Noen loved working down there, the only bad thing was it got a little warm and after spending a dew hours down there, the lights up stairs tended to burn your eyes. Sebastian had called down the stairs around four that he would look at the photos tomorrow, that he had to head out. Jorge and Noen shared a look before saying good-bye. 

“You think he’s going to see that guy?” Noen asked, putting his things away. Jorge laughed.

“Oh, of course he is” he nodded, getting up and helping Noen clean up. 

“Was the guy hot?” Noen asked, leaning against the table. 

“For an older guy, yeah, he looked like he was in his forties maybe” Jorge shrugged. Noen frowned. Sebastian looked like he was fresh out of high school, minus the acne an bad attitude. 

“I don’t blame him though” Jorge shrugged. “He did look like he knew how to have fun” he said, following Noen out. Noen nodded, sliding sunglasses into his face, handing Jorge a pair. Jorge did the same as Noen opened the door. 

“So, are you going to talk to Benji?” he asked. 

“Claro, iré a hablar con él, le diré todo bien, iré a casa y fingiré que hoy no sucedió.” (Sure, I’ll talk to him, tell him everything’s fine, then I’ll go home and pretend today didn’t happen) he frowned, holding the door open for him. 

“Jorge, you can’t pretend it didn’t happen, you need to talk to him about it” Noen frowned. “If you don’t, you’ll never work” he decided. Jorge sighed. 

“Lo que sea” (whatever) he muttered. Noen seemed satisfied by that, knowing Jorge would do the right thing, he always did. 

Noen dropped Jorge off at his apartment, bidding farewell and ordering him to work things out. Jorge just shrugged, walking inside. He grabbed his watering can from the balcony, filling it up with water. He went around the room, watering each plant generously. His lemon tree had grown taller and his clematis was growing up the railing nicely. The Venus flytraps were turned toward each other, looking as though they were having a carnivorous meeting. Jorge watered them, petting their stems gently. He laughed when he realized he treated his plants like they were pets and not plants, but he liked it that way. The traps were all open, meaning they were ready to eat whenever they had the chance, so Jorge set them outside on the small table that his spider plant had been on, hopefully they’d catch some ants. He pulled some weeds out of a few pots, tossing them over the railing. He jumped when someone knocked on his door. 

“Venir” he called after recollecting himself. Before opening the door, he looked through the peep hole seeing Benji. He took a deep breath and swung the door open. “Yes?’ he asked, not unkindly. 

“You promised we would talk” he reminded, his hand in his pockets. Jorge moved to the side, gesturing for Benji to come in. 

“So what do you want to talk about?” he asked, sitting on the couch. 

“You know what I want to talk about” Benji frowned, standing by the balcony door. Jorge shrugged.

“I want to talk about why you ignored me today, why you left so quickly this morning, why you stopped speaking Spanish with me” Benji mumbled the last one, not wanting Jorge to think he had some weird obsession with it. 

“I was busy, I had to get to work, and I um, I don’t know” he lied, chewing his lip. Benji frowned. 

“Are you sure because you seemed pretty sure earlier” Benji frowned. 

“I was just angry okay” Jorge dismissed, looking away from Benji.

“Why?” he exclaimed. Jorge huffed.

“Because, because” he tried. The words were escaping him, he was thinking too fast to speak in English and he refused to give Benji what he wanted. He just huffed again, crossing his arms. 

“Come on, Jorge” Benji complained. 

“¡Estoy enfadada porque tú! ¡Idiota! Te conocí hace tres días y estoy tan atado en ti que no puedo respirar cuando estás cerca porque si lo hago voy a perturbar la euforia traída por ti y no quiero eso y esta mañana, cuando esa chica abrió la puerta, pensé que tal vez eras como los otros, que me estabas guiando a hacerme daño por una risa rápida porque estoy enfermo por ser como soy, y lo peor fue que me di cuenta de que no me importaba si eso era cierto, todavía me sentiría de esta manera y eso me asusta!” (I'm mad because you! Idiot! I met you three days ago and I'm so tied up in you that I can't breathe when you're around because if I do I'm going to disturb the euphoria brought on by you and I don't want that and this morning when that girl opened the door, I thought maybe you were like the others, that you were just leading me along to hurt me for a quick laugh because I'm sick for being the way I am, and the worst part was that I found that I didn’t care if that was true, I would still feel this way and that scares me) he exclaimed. Benji’s face reddened. 

“You don’t think I feel the same? I feel like I’m on the front lines, Jorge! Like there is a bullet coming towards me and I can’t do anything to stop it! How quickly I decided to love you should be unnatural, but I did it anyway. I moved here to get away from this, to try and prevent myself from getting my heart broken again, but then you came along” he said quietly, nervously. “You rewrote all of my plans, made me sit back and think about my life about what I did that led up to the moment we met, and I think whatever god there is every day that I got to” he finished. “And you were jealous of Antonio? She leaves the hair from her hairbrush all over the bathroom sink, how could I ever date someone like her?” he asked, sitting beside Jorge. Jorge looked at him unimpressed. “The point it Jorge, I would never hurt you, the thought of doing so makes me nauseas beyond belief” he promised, taking Jorge’s hand in his. “So what if we love each other after only seventy-two hours, who cares? It’s been the best seventy-two hours of my life and there is no way in hell I’m going to lose you, not now, not ever” Benji promised, his eyes traveling across Jorge’s face for any sign pf disagreement. Jorge just blinked his large doe eyes ep at him, tears turning them glassy. Benji leaned forward kissing his forehead gently, then his nose, then his cheek, then his chin, then after what felt like forever, he kissed Jorge’s lips. Jorge carded his fingers in Benji’s hair, pulling him impossibly close. There was something about kissing after a fight that gave it a more intimate feel, having gotten passed something that caused them to be on opposing sides, they were on the same side again, forgetting why they were fighting in the first place. Benji pulled away first, still close to Jorge. “You’re not sick, baby, the world is” he promised, kissing him again, so soft that Jorge barely felt it and it made Jorge’s heart hurt. Benji was so gentle with him, so kind, how could he ever believe he was pretending. 

“¿Quién es exactamente Antonio?” (Who exactly is Antonio?) he asked, quietly, curiously. Benji’s smile brightened his whole face. 

“She’s one of my best friends, we met when we were in grade school, we lost touch after a while, but we rekindled our friendship in high school. When she heard I move to Barcelona, she used all of the money she saved up from her part time jobs to fly out” he explained. “She’s a bit brash when you first meet her, but once she gets to know you, she opens up” he promised. Jorge nodded. He hadn’t realized he had practically moved into Benji’s lap until Benji started drawing invisible shapes onto his bare thighs. He should move, and he would, just not then. It felt good to be in Benji’s arms, to rest his head on his shoulder and just listen to him talk. He shivered when his fingertips slid under the hem of his jeans, gently touching him. He would never admit how weak he felt as Benji ran his fingers over his legs, the touch igniting his body into flames he had never felt before. Benji looked into his eyes, looking unsure. Jorge just kissed him again. He wasn’t sure how far things would’ve gotten as Benji laid him down, resting between his legs as they kissed and kissed, if the phone hadn’t rung at that moment. Benji jerked away as though Jorge had burned him, and the thought only made Jorge a little sad because he understood. 

“Hola, ¿a quién estoy hablando?” (Hello, to who am I speaking?) he asked, twirling the chord around his finger like usual. “Hola, Noen” he said, noticing Benji had gotten up and was staring at his flytraps. “Yeah, no, we’re good, yes, we talked” he spoke quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the conversation, unsure if Benji would want for Noen to know. “Yes, I was honest” he said, feeling offended. 

“Hi, Noen” Benji said from outside. 

“Benji says hello” he repeated. 

“Oh, shit, he’s there?” he asked. Jorge laughed.

“No, we used our magic mind abilities to talk to each other in our respective homes” Jorge teased, watching Benji talk to the plants. He smiled. 

“Oh whatever, just no unsafe sex, we don’t want you to end up carrying” Noen ordered. 

“Noen!” Jorge exclaimed, blushing madly. “We aren’t going to have any sex” he whispered, hoping Benji hadn’t heard him. 

“Sure, is that why you answered the phone all breathless?” he asked. 

“I did no such thing, thank you very much” he frowned. “I got to go, Benji is talking to the plants” he informed, smiling. 

“Oh no, you’re already driving him mad” Noen teased. 

“Ha-ha, good-bye Noen” Jorge said, hanging u the receiver. Benji looked up. “No era importante” (It wasn’t important) he shook his head. Benji nodded. 

“I should probably go, Antonio is waiting for me to tell her all about you” Benji informed, frowning. Jorge nodded. 

“¿Llámame?” (call me?) he asked, pouting.

“We live next door to each other” Benji smiled, repeating his words from the night before. “I’ll just come over” he promised, kissing him softly before heading out. “You look good in those shorts by the way” he complimented, before shutting the door. Jorge blushed, rubbing his face. He needed a nap.


	8. Chapter: Seven

Jorge had crawled into bed with the intention of sleeping for thirty minutes, maybe an hour. No, instead, he didn’t wake up until he heard a knock at his door. The sun had already dipped behind the horizon and looked like it had been down for a while, he could see the stars twinkling merrily through his open balcony door. He groaned, rolling out of bed. Someone could’ve broken in; well they wouldn’t really be breaking anything since the door was open. Jorge pulled the door shut quickly, before opening the other one. Benji was standing there, smiling brightly. 

“You haven’t eaten yet, right?” he asked. Jorge yawned. 

“Aw, were you asleep?” Benji cooed, eyeing his closely. “Oh, shit, did I wake you?” he asked, looking a little guilty. 

“Si” he nodded, not wanting to lie to him. Benji frowned. “Pero me alegro de que lo hicieras, si no lo hubieras hecho, no sé cuánto tiempo habría dormido” (But I’m glad you did, if you hadn’t, I don’t know how long I would’ve slept) he reassured, moving aside so Benji could step in. 

“I was just thinking maybe we could make dinner together or something, Antonio has some guy over and I don’t want to interrupt” he rolled his eyes, looking at him hopefully. Jorge smiled, sitting on the couch, hugging a pillow to his chest. 

“Me alegra que me lo hayas preguntado, porque me muero de hambre.” (I’m glad you asked, because I’m starving) he smiled. Benji relaxed sitting beside him. Jorge yawned again, resting his head on the pillow. He was still exhausted. Benji chuckled, walking to the kitchen. Jorge looked like he could use a little more sleep, so Benji let him while he ruffled through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. There wasn’t much in the cabinets that could be collectively used for a meal, he had half of a box of angel hair pasta and a few lone cans of vegetables. The fridge, however, was full of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as plenty of yoghurt. Benji chuckled. A fruit salad would be good. He pulled out the strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and oranges out of the fridge, and got the bananas off the counter. He set everything on the counter, seeing that Jorge was still asleep. Benji set to work, washing, and drying the fruit, not wanting to eat any chemicals or dirt on them. It took a while for him to find the cutting board and knives since the kitchen was unfamiliar. He eventually did, beginning to chop the fruit into acceptable sized pieces. After that he grabbed the yoghurt and honey. Jorge whined in his sleep, stretching out on the couch. Benji shook his head smiling. He put yoghurt into two separate bowls, adding the fruit and drizzling honey on the top. He found a container of oats and sprinkled a few around the perimeter of the bowls. He was actually kind of proud of what he made; it was really cute. He walked over to the couch, crouching down beside it. 

“Jorge?” he said softly, shaking his shoulder gently. He looked so peaceful, it hurt Benji to wake him up. But the boy hadn’t eaten yet so at least he had a valid reason. Jorge mumbled unintelligibly, saying something about cats. Benji wasn’t sure, but he continued. “Come on Jey” he shook him again, this time his eyes fluttered open. 

“¿Qué?” (What?) he complained, stretching.

“I made dinner” he informed. “It’s fruit ad yoghurt, because your cabinets were practically bare” he pointed out. Jorge nodded, rolling onto his side.

“Normalmente salgo con Noen para cenar” (I normally go out with Noen for dinner) he shrugged. Benji nodded, kissing his forehead. 

“Come on sleeping beauty” he coaxed, pulling him up. Jorge accepted his bowl gratefully.

“Es tan lindo!” (It’s so cute) he awed, taking a bite.

“Merci, Monsieur” he said in a French accent, causing Jorge to laugh. The two ate in silence, catching the other staring every few moments. Jorge finished first, taking his dishes into the kitchen, preparing to clean up. Benji watched him work, even after he finished, watching the way he scrubbed the dishes until they were clean, noticing the way his shorts clung to his legs, noticed the scar running along his calf. He was so beautiful. Benji stood bringing his own bowl over, wrapping his arms around Jorge’s waist. Jorge smiled. 

“Si?” he asked, turning his head so he could see Benji. Benji just shrugged, resting his head on his shoulder. Jorge continued cleaning up, dripping soapy water onto Benji’s when he reached for the hand towel. Benji laughed, grabbing it first since his arms are longer, drying himself off and holding it out of reach. “Vamos, esto no es gracioso Benjamin” (Come on, this isn’t funny Benjamin) Jorge tried, and failed, to sound serious as a smile crept onto his face. Benji shook his head, holding it in the air like some sort of victory flag. Jorge reached for it, but he was to short, so he gripped his shoulder with one hand and leverage so he could try to jump and get it. He would’ve had it if Benji hadn’t moved his hand away at the same moment, causing Jorge to let out an annoyed noise. Benji just laughed, moving from the kitchen and into the living room. Jorge followed, leaving a trail of soap and water as he did so. Benji stopped by the balcony door, waving the towel around teasingly. Just as Jorge walked to him, he moved to the other side of the room. “Dámelo” (Give it to me!) Jorge whined, laughing as Benji tripped over his untied shoelace. Benji quickly laced it up, jumping away just as Jorge almost grabbed the towel.

“You can do better than that” Benji taunted, waving it in front of Jorge’s face. He grabbed for it but missed when Benji backed up. The back of his knees hit the arm of the couch knocking him off balance and sending him back onto the couch. Jorge quickly sat on his stomach, leaning forward to get the towel, his hands were practically dry by then, but it wasn’t about that anymore, it was about getting the damned towel from him. He still couldn’t get it, so he did what any sane person would do. He began tickling Benji. He tickled his sides, causing Benji to dissolve into laughter, trying to twist away but unable to. Jorge didn’t let up until he tossed the towel across the room, surrendering. Jorge jumped up, ready to grab it but Benji was faster and before he could, Benji grabbed him around the waist, lifting him up. Jorge squealed. 

“Bájame, perra.” (Put me down you bitch!) he giggled breathlessly, squirming around. Benji did just that, dropping him into his armchair and retrieving the towel. “¿Puedo por favor tenerlo” (Can I please have it?) he asked politely, batting his eyelashes. 

“Nuh uh mister, I am immune to your charm” Benji announced, but he was watching Jorge like a hawk.

“Por favor?” he whined, drawing the word out. Benji shook his head. “¿Por qué no?” (Why not?) Jorge asked, standing up. 

“Because I said so” he shrugged as though it were obvious. Jorge pouted, standing in front of Benji. He slid his hands beneath his shirt, petting at the taut muscle there, leaning forward and mouthing at his neck. He felt a shiver run through Benji as he left soft kisses down his collar bone. He let the towel fall, his eyes fluttering closed as Jorge continued kissing him, dipping his fingers into the hem of his jeans, making sure they stayed above his boxers. Jorge dropped to his knees, Benji looking down in surprise. he kissed along the top of Benji’s jeans, grabbing the towel quickly and jumping back up. Benji looked at him in confusion, narrowing his eyes when Jorge waved the towel in front of his face. “You little tease!” he accused. Jorge just smiled proudly, walking back to the kitchen. 

“Eres un hombre, impulsado por tus instintos primaries” (You’re such a man, driven by your primal instincts) Jorge announced, putting the cut fruits up. Benji rolled his eyes.

“And you’re such a man, doing anything to get what you want” Benji replied, leaning against the counter, ignoring the obvious tent in his pants. It was Jorge’s fault for getting him so worked up. Jorge shrugged, winking at him. That seemed like a promise, and Benji was willing to wait a million years for it to be fulfilled. Or a few hours depending on where the night ended. Jorge wiped off the island, tossing the sponge into the sink. Benji began putting the dishes up, only needing guidance from Jorge once. 

“Entonces, Antonio tiene a un tipo más?” (So, Antonio has a guy over?) Jorge spoke up, smirking at Benji’s irritated face. 

“Not to be a hypocrite, but she’s only been here for a day and she is already entertaining guys at my apartment” he complained. “I don’t bring you to my house and make her leave, do I? You’ve never even seen the inside of my place, which is weird, would you like to come over some time?” he rambled. Jorge shrugged. “Cool, the point is I don’t even know who this guy is, I told her all about you, but I know nothing about this guy” he frowned. Jorge nodded, understanding. He had a sister and whenever they talked, he was always lost as to where she was in life. “When I tried to ask questions, she just looked at me like I was the worst, I don’t get it we used to tell each other everything and now she’s probably have unprotected sex in my bed” he complained. Jorge pulled him down on the couch, laughing. “What?” he asked, eyeing him. 

“Nada” (Nothing) he promised, shaking his head. Benji rolled his eyes, yawning. He was tired after chasing Jorge around. “¿Cuéntame una historia?” (tell me a story) Jorge suggested, tucking his feet beneath him, resting his head on Benji’s shoulder. Benji nodded. 

“Alright” he said quietly. “Once upon a time” Benji began, nudging Jorge when he snorted at the beginning line. “Once upon of time” he repeated. “There was a little boy living in Nova Scotia, Canada. He was a sweet kid, seemingly born with a heart of gold and a will as malleable as sheep’s wool” Jorge smiled softly. He was rather descriptive with his stories. “He had two brothers, Thomas and Rowry, they were the athletic ones, they always had a ball in their hands, the little boy, however many years older than them he was, he would always be compared to his siblings. Hi-“ 

“¿Cómo se llama?” (what is his name?) Jorge interrupted, looking up at him. 

“Who’s name?” he asked. 

“los chicos” (the boys) he replied. 

“His name was…Bee” he informed. Jorge nodded. “Anyway, his parents used to always get on him about being like a regular boy, ‘Play football Bee’ ‘Don’t wear that Bee’ ‘Bee, I swear if I see you with paint on your face one more time’ you know shit like that, Bee was really down about that. He tried to ask his friends about it, and they agreed with his parents, telling him he needed to stop acting like that or he’d be taken for a queer and no one wanted that, so Bee did as he was told. He didn’t want that either, the truth was always uglier than the lies. He started dressing like his brothers, went out for the basketball team, even met girl named Rebecca and they began to date, he called her the prettiest girl in Nova Scotia and she gave him honey flavoured kisses” Benji paused, checking the Jorge was still listening. “Days past, weeks, months, then years. Bee had lost sight of himself; he was still with Rebecca, but she grew impatient and he grew distant. He saw himself less as a person and more of a project, one that’s never finished because the ending was predestined to be fucked. He kissed a lot of girls in those few years, did more than kissed more than a few. He pretended he was what they wanted him to be, which was normal” he took a breath. “His grades were slipping, his relationships were falling apart, he was depressed, hated everything about himself and vowed to change it. The night he walked across the stage and received his diploma, he was planning. His bags were in the back of his car, the smile on his face was fake. He was ready. The lights and the cheers faded as he ran, missing the cap toss because he couldn’t care less about conformity. He drove fast, faster than was legally accepted, and made it to the airport. He spent every last dime to fly far, far, away and fly away he did. He touched down in an unknown place he had picked with his eyes closed. It was wonderland. He bargained with a man to let him live in one of his open apartments if he worked for him, whatever he did, Bee promised he would do. He became a painter. Bee loved paint and figured maybe it was fate. It wasn’t; fate was when he knocked on the next door neighbours door and he opened it, greeting him. he looked a little sad, looked like Bee did. Bee put on a bright smile for the boy, he looked like he needed someone to smile at him. Bee noticed the boy was prettier than Rebecca and soon he would find he tasted better than honey. This boy was-“

“¿A mí?” (Me?) Jorge asked, looking at Benji. Benji nodded. 

“¿Eso significa que eres Bee?” (Does that mean you’re Bee?) Jorge asked. Benji nodded, wiping a tear that fell down Jorge’s cheek. “¿Tus padres y amigos fueron realmente tan malos para ti?” (Were your parents and friends really that mean to you?) he questioned, sniffling. Benji nodded. 

“Yeah, but it’s fine, because I wasn’t the best to them either” he reassured, kissing the top of his head. Jorge frowned. 

“¡No, no lo estabas! Te hicieron cambiar, te hicieron sentir mal por ser quien eres" (No you weren’t! They made you feel bad, they made you change who you are” Jorge shook his head. Benji chuckled. 

“It seems like that, but when I did what they wanted, I began everything I wasn’t. I was mean, hateful, dishonest” he shook his head. “I could’ve handled it better, just like they could’ve” he informed. Jorge frowned, refusing to believe Benji did anything wrong. He took Benji’s hand. 

“Sigo pensando que eres mejor que ellos” (I still think you’re better than them) Jorge promised, kissing his knuckles. Benji shook his head smiling. Somewhere in the distance, church bells could be heard ringing their ominous tone, signalling it was nearing midnight. Jorge stood, pulling Benji with him, heading into his bedroom. The stripped of their jeans and crawled into Jorge’s bed, holding each other as though they were afraid, they’d float away. In someway they were, afraid that the other would open their eyes and see a different picture from what they had then. Would see a world full of darkness and sadness because it had all been a dream because that’s what it felt like. If it was a dream, both Jorge and Benji labelled it as the best one they ever had, and they planned to keep dreaming as long as their eyes were closed, there was nothing worse then waking up before a dream had ended.


	9. Chapter: Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking, after I write this, maybe Ill do a prequal about Benji's life before Barcelona and call it Winter in Nova Scotia or something, would you guys be interested in that?

Benji woke up to soft sunlight streaming in through the window across the room, seemingly stabbing him in the eyes. He had to squint to see anything. Once he adjusted to the light, he looked at Jorge, who was curled up against his chest, his face pressed against his neck. Benji thought back to last night, about his life before Barcelona, life before Jorge. He told Jorge the basis, but the details were still fizzy for him. He had left out the many days he had refused to leave bed, couldn’t even look himself in the eye. The many times his father had tried to beat the gay out of him, that one summer he went to a pray-the-gay-away camp and had gotten his arm broken because he refused to fight one of the younger campers. He didn’t want to tell Jorge that, he had already been so torn up about what he’d told him, there was no point in telling him the worse parts. He sighed into his dark curls, running his thumb over his cheek bone. Jorge snuggled closer to him at the feeling. Benji moved to get up, the need to pee making itself known as he stumbled to the bathroom. He caught a glimpse of himself I the mirror, his hair a mess and dried drool on his chin. He almost laughed as he peed before washing his hands and face. His toothbrush was at his place and his breath probably smelled horrible. Hopefully, Jorge didn’t expect to kiss him. Speaking of Jorge, he more than likely had work to get to, as did Benji. As if on que, there was a knock on the front door, startling Benji, but leaving Jorge undisturbed. 

The door was unlocked, so Benji just pulled it open. 

“Noen” Benji said slightly confused. 

“Benji?” Noen replied, a lot confused. “What are you doing here?” he asked almost at the same time that Benji asked him. 

“Sorry, I assume you have a valid reason for being here” Benji apologized. “I’m here because I spent the night, you’re here to take Jorge to work, correct?” Benji smiled, letting him in. Noen nodded, returning the smile. 

“Where is Jorge exactly?” he asked. 

“Bed, he is still asleep” Benji informed. Noen rolled his eyes. 

“Seriously?” he asked, walking to his room. Sure enough, Jorge was still lying in bed, soft snores leaving his mouth. “I’m gonna wake him up” Noen announced. 

“Don’t you dare!” Benji joked, joining Noen beside the bed, shaking Jorge awake. 

“Come on whore, wake up” Noen shook his shoulder, looking at Benji to see amusement on his face. Noen contemplated jumping on the bed when Jorge whined. 

“¡Deja de perra, déjame dormir!” (Stop that you bitch, let me sleep!) he complained, rolling away from Noen, only to be greeted by Benji on the other side. 

“Seriously, Jey, you have to go to work” he reminded. Jorge sat up, huffing, his hair a mess his eyes half lidded. 

“Whoa” Benji mumbled. Noen looked at him raising his eyebrows. “What? He’s adorable” Benji defended himself, smiling brightly. Noen snorted, standing up. They were late, but it was fine. Jorge didn’t really have anything to do at the studio and Sebastian would understand. 

“No quiero ir” (I don’t want to go) he whined, rubbing his eyes. Benji looked at his wrist, before remembering he didn’t have a watch on. He put his hands on his hips, frowning. How did he get up on his own if he acted like this when someone else woke him up? The thought struck him as odd and he couldn’t help but giggle. “¿Puedes traerme algo?” (Can you get me something) he asked the room, not caring who agreed. 

“Yes” Benji said, waiting. Jorge didn’t elaborate just sat there staring at his lap. Benji frowned, asking him what. 

“¿Qué? oh, mi ropa” (What? Oh, my clothes) he said, gesturing to his dresser. Benji laughed. 

“I don’t know what you want to wear, Cariño” (honey) Benji cooed, smiling in amusement. 

“Bien” he mumbled, crawling to the edge of his bed, and getting up. He made his way to his dresser, making quick work of the contents before pulling out some khaki shorts and the striped button up he wore on his and Benji’s date. He pulled the shorts on, tucking the shirt in and putting on his ankle bracelet then tugging on his shoes. He combed his fingers through his hair, yawning. “¿Listo?” (Ready) he asked Noen, seemingly wide awake. 

“Yes, whore, I’ve been ready” he informed, nodding at him. 

“¿Tienes que trabajar hoy, Benjamin?” (Do you have to work today Benjamin?) he asked, walking over to him. Benji nodded. 

“Yes, I just don’t have to go in until noon” he informed, accepting the gentle kiss Jorge gave him. 

“¿Te veré más tarde?” (Will I see you later?) he asked, chewing his lip. Benji nodded. 

“Of course” he promised, kissing his nose. Jorge giggled. He was still exhausted, but he was good at pretending he wasn’t. He yawned behind his hand, waling to the bathroom to scrub his teeth quickly before he and Noen left. It hadn’t bee five minutes before someone else was knocking on his door, more frantic than Noen had been. Benji frowned, opening the door again. This time it was Antonio.

“Your dad called” she said, her eyes looking a little nervous. 

“What? Why?” he asked, following his friend next door. Antonio shrugged, leading him to the phone next door. Antonio handed him a notepad where she wrote the number down and Benji looked at her incredulously. “I know the number” he frowned, picking the phone up. He heard the dial tone and began punching in the numbers. He waited for his father to ick up, it was barely nine in the morning there so if his dad was calling at three in the morning, it had to be serious. He picked up quickly, immediately asking if it was Benji. “Yes, dad, it’s Benji” he rolled his eyes. No matter how worried he was, he still found himself annoyed by his father. “What’s wrong?” he asked. 

“It’s-it’s Rowy” he said, surprising Benji. He was expecting him to order him to stop this madness and come home. Benji, of course, would refuse and hang up, prepared to forget it happened in the first place. That, clearly, was not the case. 

“What happened?” he demanded, never really liking his parents but he would die for his brothers, they always loved and excepted him no matter what. 

“He was out late last night with some of his buddies, it was dark, and the driver was intoxicated, Benji, Rowy was hit” he explained calmly. Benji felt all the colour drain from his face and he felt cold. 

“Is he okay?” he asked, his voice raising a pitch or two in his panic. His father was silent. 

“He is in the hospital, unconscious, it was pretty bad, he broke some of his ribs, his wrist is shattered, his leg broken” he explained. Benji couldn’t breathe, his whole body hurt. Rowy never hurt anyone, he didn’t deserve this. He had no choice; he knew what he had to do. He had to go, as soon as possible. In a perfect world he would wait for Jorge to get home, ask if he wanted to go with him, a trip to the states was perfectly needed even if they were only there for a short lay over before going to Nova Scotia, but this was not a perfect world because in a perfect world Rowy wouldn’t have been hit, Benji would be in Barcelona because he was studying abroad not trying to forget his ugly childhood, in a perfect world Jorge would understand but if Benji just left he would be devastated. “Benjamin?” his father asked. 

“Don’t call me Benjamin, only one person calls me Benjamin” he said as if on instinct even if his mind wasn’t completely there. He hung up, leaning against the wall, his eye glassy. 

“What happened?” Antonio asked, her own panic rising, she loved the Krol’s as though they were her own family and if something happened to them, it happened to her. Now was not the case, she wanted to fly out to Barcelona to feel reckless with Benji (a selfish part of him feeling as though she did it to get the attention off him and back on her) she could stay, explain everything to Jorge. Even if she didn’t like him all that much, which was completely unprecedented since Jorge was the sweetest creature to breathe the air on this toxic planet. 

“I need you to stay here, tell Jorge everything, I’ll leave him a note but when he comes to you for questions, I need to you to answer them for me. Rowy was hit by a car, he’s really beat up, I have to go to Nova Scotia and be there for support, to see Rowy in case-in case” Antonio held her hand up, already knowing what Benji was trying to say, but not wanting him to have to. She understood. “Can you do that for me?” he pleaded, going to his room, and throwing clothes into his suitcase. Antonio nodded. Benji yanked open his dresser drawer, counting all his money. He barely had enough for a ticket there, he would have to worry about a ticket back when he got there. 

“What do I tell him?” she asked, sounding as though talking to him was the end of the world. 

“Could you not be a bitch?” Benji demanded, turning on her. She froze. “He has never dine anything to you, ever, yet you go out of your way to dislike him, why?” he demanded. Antonio blushed fire.

“It’s not that I don’t like him, he seems sweet, I just don’t-“

“Don’t like that I’m gay?” he asked, crossing his arms. Antonio froze, it looked as though she had stopped breathing as well. “I honestly don’t care about your opinion on that, Ant, it’s my life, it’s my happiness, I had to deal with that all my life when I lied with my parents, I refuse to deal with it here, especially when I didn’t ask you to come” he couldn’t help it, it was like finding out about Rowy being hurt opened a dam in his mind he hadn’t realized had been there. Antonio was silent as Benji continued to pack. “You know what don’t worry about it, if he has questions I’ll just give him the house number and he can call, I was going to do that anyway so we’d be able to keep in touch, but now I don’t really want you to speak to him at all” Benji shook his head, leaving the room and gabbing a notebook. He sat at the kitchen table and began to write. He filled two whole pages with the words he had been to scared to say and the words he never thought were important until then. He loved Jorge and he needed to know. Meeting him was like when your parents tell you the story where they lock eyes across the room of some cocktail party and they just know it’s the one, except it was better because this would last. He folded the note in half, then in half again and carefully slipping it into an envelope and signing it. Antonio didn’t say anything else as he left, slipping the envelope into Jorge’s mailbox because he knew, he checked the mail immediately when he got home, and unlocked the car. The last time he had been in it he had been driving Jorge home after their first and only date so far. He bit his lip to keep it from trembling as he turned the engine over and heading for the airport. Just when he thought he was free; he was called back to the prison he had called home for nineteen years until he didn’t. He had to leave everything behind again. He vowed this would be the last time he left everything he loved everything he knew. Last time leaving Jorge.


	10. Chapter: Nine

Benji’s P.O.V

He had expected tears, had expected his parents to admit that they missed him and were sorry for driving him so far away. They didn’t. Benji wasn’t surprised in the least, though he did have to remind himself occasionally that he came for Rowy not for his parents. They didn’t matter, not then. The first time he had seen Rowy in the hospital, he had teared up, nearly crying. He hadn’t, made sure to keep a brave face for him. He had been unconscious, the nurse explaining that he was in a coma or something. Benji couldn’t hear past the ringing in his ears. He was so mad at whoever did this and so mad that he hadn’t been there when it first happened, coming nearly a day late. He inhaled sharply, sitting next to his brothers bed. 

“Hey, Row” he smiled. He didn’t know why he was smiling, Rowy couldn’t see it, so he stopped. It was too hard to smile. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here, you know’ he said quietly, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “I’ve been in Barcelona, crazy right? It’s beautiful” he admitted, looking wistfully out the window. “The people are so nice, incredible really, now nice they are” he sighed. 

“You met someone, didn’t you?” Thomas asked from the doorway. Benji stood up, turning to him. 

“Thomas!” he exclaimed, hugging him close to him. Thomas laughed, pushing him away. 

“Happy to see you too” he smiled. Benji nodded. A sudden awkward silence fell over them. It made Benji want to pull his hair out, to throw a fit like a child, to do something besides stand there under Thomas’ stare. 

“I’m sorry I ran off to Barcelona and didn’t even call you guys to let you know I was alive” Benji blurted, unable to help himself. Thomas chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about it, Rowy and I understand, its mom and dad you have to worry about” he shrugged, walking farther into the room. Benji followed him, offering him a chair, which Thomas accepted gratefully. “So, back to the amazing people of Barcelona, what’s his name?” Thomas asked, eyeing him with a knowing glint in his eyes. 

“His name is Jorge” he easily smiled a blush lightly dusting his cheeks. Thomas smiled. “He’s my neighbour” he informed. Thomas snorted. 

“Don’t tell me you have a boy next door type love?” Thomas teased. Benji sunk back into his seat, smiling. 

“No” he lied, looking away. Thomas laughed. 

“Way to go, Benji, you went to Barcelona and that the most stereotypical thing happen to you, how’s it feel to have he exact same love story as billions of people on this planet?” Thomas asked. This shouldn’t have made Benji irritated, but it did. Did he want to be mad? No/ Was his anger justified? Not really. But there it was. 

“No one’s love story is the same, Thomas” Benji said, rolling his eyes. “Everyone’s different” he muttered, crossing his arms. Thomas laughed. 

“You’re really pissed about that? Come on, Benji, he was the boy next door, let me guess there was a lot of pining a few awkward encounters and then you confessed your love for one another” Thomas guessed, only for Benji to shake his head triumphantly. 

“No, actually, we met the first day I moved there, I asked him out the next day, we fought the day after that, made up, and now I’m here because apparently I was only gone for a week before I was called back home” Benji informed. He couldn’t believe it had only been a week. He felt as if it had been a year; so much had happened. Thomas was silent, understanding how shitty the situation was. He couldn’t help feeling bad. Benji, no matter how short of a time it was, had made a life for himself in Barcelona and here they were fucking it up again. It wasn’t fair to Benji. 

“I’m sorry dude, this must suck” he levelled with him, trying to put himself in that situation to see how he would feel. He probably would have gotten made over being told that his love story was like everyone else’s too if he had to put said love story on the back burner so he could come back and take care of his family. Benji just shrugged. He wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore, he just wanted to call Jorge and beg for him to fly out to Canada and stay with him while he was there, but that was too much to ask the already stressed out boy. He had a new job that needed him and Benji didn’t want his parents to meet him and say sly remarks about his looks or the way he talked because his parents were low enough to do that especially since he was a boy. It’d be different if Jorge was a girl. Everything would be. Benji stood up, excusing himself. He waled into the hall, looking for anyone with scrubs on to tell him where he could find a phone. A nice orderly with purple scrubs told him there was one that visitors could use on the first floor near the bathrooms and that where Benji went. He practically punched the numbers to his apartment into the dial, waiting. Antonio picked up within a few rings sounding groggy as though she just woke up. Benji forgot all about time zones in his rush to here Jorge’s sweet melodic voice telling him he’d be alright.

“Benji’s place” she said through a yawn.

“I’m sorry to wake you Ant, but I need to speak to Jorge it’s urgent” he said, tapping his foot anxiously. 

“Hold on” she sighed, placing the receiver over the hook so the call was still going as she left to fetch Jorge. What was only ten minutes felt like a lifetime before Jorge’s voice was serenading Benji’s ears. His voice was raspy from sleep, or worse, tears, and Benji felt immediately relaxed. 

“Benjamin” Jorge said happily. Benji smiled. 

“It’s me, Cariño” he reassured softly, leaning against the wall, tears threatening to pour down his cheeks. 

“Te extraño” (I miss you) Jorge whispered quietly, sniffling. Benji nodded. 

“I miss you too, baby, but don’t worry its only a few days, I promise” Benji sighed, cradling the phone as though it were Jorge himself. “How was work?” Benji asked, inhaling shakily. 

“Fue bueno, Sebastian ama mis fotos, dijo que tengo un ojo para lo misterioso, lo que sea que eso signifique, creo que significa que tomo fotos de cosas que parecen que tienen una historia para ellos (It was good, Sebastian loves my photos, he said I have an eye for the mysterious, whatever that means, I think he means I take pictures of things that look like they have a story to them) he said sounding unsure. 

“You’ll have to show some of your work sometime, when I get home, hopefully” Benji suggested. 

“Claro” (Of course) Jorge agreed, sitting down. 

“Did you and Noen get up to anything today?” he asked. 

“E-en realidad no, estaba muy ocupado" (N-not really, he was really busy) he shrugged. Benji nodded. “¿Cómo fue su vuelo” (How was your flight?) Jorge asked, more than likely curling the chord around his finger like he was fond of doing. 

“It was okay, I was seated beside this guy who slept the whole time and snored loudly” Benji said, smiling at Jorge’s laugh. 

“¿Qué hay de Rowy, está bien” (What about Rowy, is he alright?) he asked nervously. If Rowy was okay, Benji would be able to come home sooner. 

“He’s sleeping, but the doctors said he should wake up within a week, I’ll stay until he does, maybe a little longer” Benji informed, looking around the hall. Jorge let out an unsatisfied sob. “Don’t worry, Jorge, I swear on my life I will be home within a month” he reassured. Jorge was crying, Benji could tell. He hated that, it made him want to cry as well. It also unsettled him; they were so far into the magic that is love the thought of being apart for so long drove them to tears. 

“Te extraño” (I miss you) Jorge repeated, wiping his eyes. 

“I miss you too pedacito de Cielo” (my little piece of heaven) he said. Jorge was quiet for a moment. Benji went to say something but Jorge spoke first.

“¿Tienes el dinero para un vuelo de regreso” (Do you even have the money for a flight back?) he asked, dreading the answer. Benji wished he hadn’t asked. 

“No, not yet, but I’ll get a job and save up. It won’t take long I promise” he said. He broke that promise as soon as he said it. A part time job would give him five dollars an hour at the most, only working a few hours a week for four weeks would probably only get him five hundred if he were lucky. 

“Benji?” he heard Thomas call for him. He looked up as Thomas approached him. 

“Yes?” he asked.

“He’s awake” he informed, waiting for him to hang up. Benji nodded, feeling guilty for the disappointment he felt when he had to hang up with Jorge. “I’ve got to go, Cariño” Benji said. Jorge sniffled. 

“Bien” Jorge mumbled. Benji went to hang up when Jorge spoke. “¡Esperar! Te amo, mi sol” (Wait! I love you my sun) he said. Benji’s heart ached. 

“I love you too, Jorge, tell Antonio I’ll call later, okay?” he asked. Once he got Jorge’s agreement, he hung up. He ignored Thomas who was staring at him like he had two heads or lost the one he had. Benji didn’t blame him, but he refused to explain himself to him. He didn’t have to explain himself to anyone, except maybe Jorge. But that was different, it was different because they, as of just then, officially loved each other and that made the distance easier. Somewhat.


	11. Chapter: Ten

“Benji?” was the first thing Rowy said when they walked into the room. He looked both worried and relieved. 

“Yeah, it’s me kid” he smiled. Rowy lay back, sighing.

“When’d you get here?” he asked. Benji sat in one of the chairs beside the bed. 

“Not too long ago” he shrugged. They were silent as Rowy adjusted in the bed with a pained groan. 

“Where were you, anyway?” he asked, looking at him calmly. There was no anger in his expression, just gently curiosity. 

“Uh, Barcelona” he admitted sheepishly. He had said it already, but that was when he thought no one was listening. Rowy rose his eyebrows, seeming impressed. “Yeah, I know” he chuckled. 

“Tell him the rest” Thomas suggested, smiling. Even if the exchange of ‘I love you’ unnerved him moments before, he was still happy for his brother. 

“The rest of what?” Rowy asked smiling. 

“He met a guy” Thomas blurted, getting a swift elbow to the rib. Thomas hissed, moving away. 

“A guy? Is he cute?” Rowy teased, causing Benji to blush. 

“Yes, he’s cute! He’s ridiculously cute and he talks to me in Spanish, it’s so hot” he admitted, hiding his face in his hand. 

“Don’t tell me you have a thing for his accent?” Thomas accused. Benji shook his head vigorously before thinking about it. His voice was really hot and it did do things to him, but he wasn’t about to tell them that.

“Of course not” he rolled his eyes. “I just like the way he talks sue me” he shrugged, smiling as Rowy ordered him to tell him all the details regarding him. “Well, I met him the day I moved into my apartment, I was feeling rather good about my decisions and I wanted to get to know someone, so I knocked on his door and he answered. He didn’t look very happy so I greeted him, introduced myself and he invited me in” Benji left out the fact that he sometimes still saw the distant sadness in his eyes as though it were something his company alone couldn’t fix. “He made me lemonade and we talked a little bit, but it did get awkward after a little bit because we didn’t know each other so I thanked him and left” he smiled, trying not to visibly cringe at that memory. “That night, I had gotten home from my job and I was trying to unlock my door, but it was stuck. Luckily, Jorge and his friend Noen showed up and Jorge helped, but he seemed eager to leave, probably because of that morning, I don’t know. The next morning I asked him out and he accepted of course, why wouldn’t he?” he joked. “Don’t answer that. That evening we went on a picnic and caught fireflies and I kissed him” he shrugged, tucking his legs beneath him. 

“A picnic?” Thomas asked at the same time Rowy asked ‘Fireflies?’ Benji rolled his eyes. 

“Leave me alone, it’s romantic” he ordered, smirking. “Anyway, Antonio showed up”

“Seriously? Antonio? How is she?” Rowy asked quickly, blushing. Benji almost forgot about his devotion to her. 

“Yes, Antonio, and she’s fine, she did however, upset Jorge because she was rude when he knocked on my door the next morning and he got worried and thought I was dating her” he informed. 

“How could you date her? She leaves the hair from her hairbrush all over the bathroom sink” Thomas shrugged. 

“That’s exactly what I told him!” Benji exclaimed, laughing. “We argued, made up, then we made dinner together and went to bed because Antonio was with someone at my place” he shrugged. “Then I got the call to come here” he frowned. 

“Sorry your family was such a bother” a voice said from the doorway. Benji stood, turning around.

“Mom, Dad” he nodded, looking to his brothers worried.  
*

Jorge was shaken awake by Antonio; he hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep. He jerked awake, almost knocking his head against hers.

“Whoa there buddy” she smiled, sitting down after putting the phone back on the wall. 

“Sorry” he mumbled. 

“Did Benji have to go?” she asked. Jorge nodded, checking his watch. It as barely three in the morning. 

“He said he would call later” he informed, stretching his arms over his head. 

“Alright, cool” she nodded. “You okay?” she asked. Jorge looked at her and shrugged. He wasn’t, he knew he wasn’t, but he wouldn’t tell her that. “Where are you going?” she asked. 

“Home” he said tiredly. The day had officially gone south from what it had been. He was exhausted, physically, and mentally. He knew he had Benji’s number and would probably call before he went to work, if he went at all. Laying in bed until he got back sounded to tempting to even think about. He knew if he even thought about it, he would do it. 

“Do you and your friend want to get lunch tomorrow or something?” she asked, the fact that she as officially alone in a foreign country dawning on her. Jorge was to tired to hurt anyone’s feelings, so without thinking he agreed. What’s the worst that could happen? Noen wouldn’t like her? Possible, but Noen as very open-minded when it came to meeting people. He knew what it was like to be judged.

“Alright, yeah” he nodded. A bright smile erupted on her face making her more beautiful. Jorge was glad he could make her happy even if he himself wasn’t. He walked next door, falling into bed and immediately falling asleep, dreaming of Benji. 

*

“Benjamin” his mom nodded.

“Please, don’t call me Benjamin” he asked, shaking his head. Alejandra shook her head. 

“I named you, I’ll call you what I like” she informed, going over to Rowy, and kissing his forehead. Benji was about to complain about that being unfair when his father spoke. 

“I’m glad you chose the right thing for once” Andre informed, looking at his son with a scrutinizing gaze. 

“What do you mean for once? Moving to Barcelona was the best decision I ever made” Benji frowned. 

“Doesn’t mean it was the right one” he frowned, joining Alejandra beside the bed. 

“Not now” Thomas tried, only to earn the same glare from Andre. He visibly shrank back, looking away. Benji often forgot both of his brothers were still young enough that disappointment from their parent felt like the end of the world. He didn’t blame them, sometimes that’s what it felt like to him. Benji did agree with Thomas though, this was not the time or place to start. Benji stood by the door, wishing he could call Jorge again, but he needed sleep, it wasn’t fair for Benji to keep him up all night if he already weren’t. 

“So, who’s this boy?” Andre asked not even looking at him. 

“Not now, Dad” Benji repeated Thomas” words as a nurse walked in. 

“What? You were just telling your brothers about him, why cant you tell dear old Dad? Don’t you people like flaunting their ways?” he asked. Benji clenched his fists. 

“People like what?” Benji practically growled. He needed to calm down, this was what his dad wanted, but it just made him so mad. 

“You know what I’m talking about” Andre said, sounding calm to the unfamiliar ear. Benji knew the calm was just a glamour, he was seething beneath his composed look. 

“No Dad, I really don’t” he scowled. He wanted his Dad to say it, wanted his dad to say what he meant because if he didn’t Benji would refuse to reply.

“The homosexual community” he said, practically hissing the word. Benji inhaled deeply.

“No, we don’t flaunt our ways” Benji hissed nearly forgetting the nurse in the room who was checking Rowy’s vitals silently. He seemed uneasy and Benji couldn’t blame him. Luckily for him, Andre stopped antagonizing him. The nurse left, practically leaving a dust outline in his wake. Benji wished he could do the same. 

“So, who is he?” Alejandra asked, facing Benji. 

“His name is Jorge, I met him when I first moved to Barcelona” he informed, tired of fighting. Hopefully since he told them they would let it alone. 

“That was barely a week ago” Alejandra said, sounding surprisingly concerned. 

“Those people move faster than normal, hon, don’t worry to much” Andre said. Benji couldn’t take it anymore. He left the room, needing some fresh air. He went to the first floor again, walking out of the building, the cool air greeting him like an old friend. He leaned against the railing watching the people in the parking lot move around. His dad always did that, always tried to rile him up to get a rise out of him, to anger him. he always let it get to him as though he wasn’t better than that. He shook his head, watching the sun as it slowly dipped behind the horizon as it rose across from Jorge’s window, shining in his eyes and waking him up. He didn’t know how long he was out there when Thomas approached him. 

“I’m sorry about that” he frowned. Benji shook his head. It wasn’t Thomas’ fault their dad was an asshole; it was their dads. 

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it” he ordered. Thomas still felt uneasy. 

“Dad said he wanted me to drive you to the house so you could unpack and stuff” he informed. Benji nodded. He really wasn’t in the mood to go back to the house to unpack, nor was he in the mood to go back upstairs. He nodded again, gesturing for Thomas to lead the way to the car. E did just that, unlocking it and climbing in. Benji watched as he started the engine, put it in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. He hadn’t been the passenger in a car in a while and immediately the need to sleep washed over him. 

He had a dream that he was in the middle of the ocean, sharks swimming around him just below the surface. He felt Jorge’s presence clinging to him for dear life, giving Benji the feeling that he couldn’t swim. Every once in a while, a shark one surface stare at him with his dark beady eyes and would say ‘People like you’ in his fathers voice before diving back under the surface. Once one even said ‘Those people like to flaunt there ways’. He woke up in the driveway to his old home, a cold sweat dampening his brow. The dream was unnerving and frightening in the worst way possible. He practically ran into the house and up to his room. It was the same as it always had been, his old desk was still a mess of papers and books. He picked up his suitcase, dumping the contents onto his made bed. His mom probably still changed the sheets even if he didn’t sleep in them anymore. He began putting his sweaters on hangers and fold his t-shirts and jeans up, placing them all neatly in his closet. He had only brought essential things with him to Barcelona since he had tore away into the night. He would have to pack the rest of his things while he was there so he could take them with him. He sat on his bed, yawning. He was exhausted despite having slept in the car. It wasn’t that late however, only around eight or nine. He probably needed to sleep though so he could wake up and start looking for a job while he was there. He did need to get enough money to buy a plane ticket back home, back to Jorge. He had used everything he had to barely buy the one that got him to Canada. Maybe Thomas would know a place that was hiring, it as summer and school had just the let out leaving many high schoolers in need of part time jobs. He laid back, his legs still dangling off the bed. He thought back to his dream and childishly pulled them onto the bed. He rolled over, falling back asleep as quickly as he had woken up.


	12. Chapter: Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am I missing a chapter? I feel like I'm missing a chapter somewhere in this story sms I'll figure it out enjoy : )

Days turned to weeks turned to months. Jorge had lost hope that Benji was ever coming home. Every phone call, every letter, was just broken promises. He always said soon, and Jorge had begun to forget the meaning of the word. He was currently out with Antonio and Noen window shopping in town. The air was brisk for Barcelona even if it was the middle of December. The last time he saw Benji it was June. His heart was as heavy as the bags he as holding for Antonio because she didn’t know the meaning of window shopping. He was leaning against a lamp post, watching as Antonio touched practically everything. He doubted there was a pair of sunglasses in town she hadn’t tried on. 

“Cheer up, whore” Noen tried, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. Jorge just shook his head, looking at the sky. It was a bright blue, the kind that hurt your eyes and almost looked like paint. He knew both Antonio and Noen were tired of hearing about Benji and how much he missed him, so he suffered in silence. He handed Antonio her things as she walked out, smiling cheerfully. Jorge wasn’t going to lie; Antonio was pretty cool. She was really owning this whole spontaneous move to Barcelona. There was never a dull moment with her, and she somewhere made Jorge feel better, not okay, but better. As long as Benji wasn’t next door, he wouldn’t be alright. Antonio slipped a pair of black sunglasses over her eyes, a pair identical to the ones Jorge and Noen always wore. They looked like they were a part of some club. Jorge almost laughed at that. 

“Do you guys want to grab some lunch?” Antonio asked, looking around still in awe even after seven months. Jorge hadn’t realized how hungry he was until food was actually mentioned, and he said just as much. 

“Yeah, there is a cute café near here” Noen informed. It never ceased to amaze Jorge, how much Noen knew about Barcelona. He could get you from one side of the country to the next without needing any help and Jorge loved that. He had grown up there and didn’t now half the shit Noen did. 

Onna Café was a cute hole in the wall in town with high stools and dark oak wood floor. The barista was kind even as it took Antonio ten minutes to decide between an almond croissant or one of the salads. She eventually went with both and an iced coffee. Jorge and Noen both got breakfast sandwiches despite it being close to two in the afternoon. There were a few other people, which according to the boy behind the counter, was pretty empty for the café, especially on a Friday. They got there food and sat down by one of the windows, sun shining through and warming the table. Jorge sipped his coffee, which he preferred hot over Noen’s and Antonio’s cold coffees. It was good, unlike a few other café’s in town, they didn’t put to much cream in it, so it still tasted like coffee and not straight sugar. 

“So, what are you guys going to do the rest of the day?” Antonio asked, picking the almonds off of her croissant and eating them by themselves. Noen shrugged, to busy inspecting his food to answer. 

“I’m probably going to try to call Benji, see what he’s doing, if Rowyn’s getting any better.” He shrugged. Her and Noen shared a pitying look before turning back to there lunch. Jorge frowned, resting his chin in his hand, and looking out the window, watching pedestrians mill around. Nothing could ever go wrong for them in this moment and that pissed Jorge off. He had felt like that before and right when he found his footing in something resembling happiness, the rug was yanked from beneath his feet. It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t so hungry anymore. His stomach hurt ad his mouth tasted sour. Taste he had gotten used too ever since Benji left, of was the taste of an oncoming emotional break and he wasn’t in the mood for it. He took a sip of coffee and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

“You should eat, whore” Noen suggested. Antonio frowned. 

“Why do you call him such an awful name?” she asked. 

“I don’t, it’s the first half of his name, whore-hey” he sounded out. Antonio still seemed unapproving. “I don’t really think he’s a whore, Antonio, I’ve never even seen him with anyone besides Benji. I do it out of love” Noen reassured, nudging Jorge softly. 

“Hm, that’s cool I guess, a little weird” she shrugged. Jorge smiled, taking a bit out of his sandwich. He guessed it would be good if the person eating it did so with enjoyment. 

“We should get going” he announced. 

“What why?” Antonio asked, gathering her trash, following him to the trash where he dropped his half-eaten sandwich. 

“No reason” he shrugged. 

“It’s eight in the morning in Nova Scotia, Benji should be awake by now” he shrugged. Antonio nodded, frowning. Jorge was going mad with this. Antonio understood being in love and missing someone, but it had been like this since the day he left. Normally it took a few days for someone to start missing their boyfriend, but for him it was immediate. She would be lying if she said it wasn’t a little annoying. She had grown to love Jorge in the months they’d been hanging out, but she was fed up of doing everything based around when Benji could call. It got irritating after a while. They made their way back through town, making a few stops whenever something caught Antonio’s eye. Jorge waited patiently, the was waning for them, but Benji technically had the whole day ahead of him. he smiled at that. Hopefully, he was too busy with his family. The day before he had told him about how him and his father hadn’t been getting along, no matter what he did his father had a bad thing to say to him. Jorge could relate to that though; his parents weren’t the greatest to him. He was relieved when they turned onto their street. His fingers were itching to punch in Benji’s number and spend a few hours talking about everything and nothing. They passed their neighbours apartments, and finally reached his. He froze. he must’ve been dreaming, he was, wasn’t he? This was real? He ran forward, throwing himself into Benji’s arms where he stood from the steps. Jorge never hugged someone so tight in his life. He was crying, happy tears this time. Benji was there, Benji was home. Benji was wincing. He pulled away. Jorge studied his face, noticing the bruise around his eye and the cut in his lip. He frowned. 

“¿Qué ha pasado?” (What happened?) he asked, the words sounding strange in his mouth because he hadn’t spoken his native language in a regular since he left. 

“Nothing to worry your pretty little head about” he promised, smiling bright. He looked so happy. 

“Benjamin” Jorge said, warning him. If he didn’t tell him what happened, he would come up with an answer himself. 

“My dad, we got into it and he punched me in the face” he informed, his heart stuttering with embarrassment. 

“Voy a enfermar” (I’ll kill him) he muttered, touching the area around his eye gently with one hand, gripping one of Benji’s with the other. He moved away when Antonio attacked him in a hug almost trapping him between the two.

“Thank god you’re back, I swear Jorge was going to die without you” she said in relief. Benji laughed, hugging her with his free arm. She pulled away straightening her shirt, smiling. Noen opened his arms as well, enveloping Benji in a hug, surprising them all, mainly because they weren’t that close. 

“I missed you” Noen admitted, his head resting on Benji’s head, making them all laugh. Benji giggled. 

“Missed you too, pal” he laughed hen he pulled away. 

“Usted didn't llamar o escribir, si me hubiera sabido que iba a volver i habría preparado a mí mismo, el apartamento it's un desastre lo que hacer-“ (You didn't call or write, if i wouldve known you were coming back i wouldve prepared myself, the apartment it’s a mess what do-)

“Calm down, Queriño” (Darling) he interrupted, tucking a curl behind his ear. Jorge frowned. “There’s just no pleasing you, is there?” he asked. 

“Hay maneras de” (There are ways) he said against his ear, so softly that it sent shivers down his spine. Benji doubted he meant anything sexual, Jorge wasn’t that type of person, but damn if he didn’t take it that way. Noen and Antonio were busy filling him in about everything from time he was gone, and Benji as to distracted by Jorge who was drawing invisible shapes into his hand, to have the heart to tell them Jorge told him everything that happened during the day when they talked on the phone in the evenings. Well, evenings for Jorge midday for Benji. 

“Really?” Benji asked as Antonio explained some incident that happened at work that Jorge explained to Benji weeks prior after she told him. It wasn’t even the fact that Jorge couldn’t keep his mouth shut, he would just find things to talk about son eh didn’t have to hang up even when he was falling asleep. It was sweet, but it did ruin the surprise for the people who had initially planned to tell him. As excused himself, wanting to go pack, he was stopped by Noen. Antonio and Jorge were unlocking the door to his apartment, walking inside, when Noen spoke.

“Can we talk later, just me and you?” he asked worriedly. Benji nodded, it would be nice to get to know Noen better. “It’s about Jorge” he added. Benji saw that one coming, he was probably going to give him the same speech that his parents did. ‘Jorge’s to reliant on you for his happiness, maybe its best if you didn’t go home’ he rolled his eye mentally, not wanting to come across as rude. He still agreed, it might be a different conversation. But he didn’t have time to worry about it, he had a suitcase to unpack and a boy to kiss like, now, he had been in the presence of Jorge for the past fifteen minutes and had yet to kiss him and frankly he found that unjustly. He headed inside, followed by Noen who was wondering how to break the news to Benji.


	13. Chapter: Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut warning! Also thank you to everyone who reads this I really appreciate the comments and kudos that I get❤

Inside, Antonio and Jorge were talking in the kitchen, pouring glasses of tea, Jorge adding sprigs of mint to each one. Benji excepted the glass from Jorge gratefully, he was in dire need of something to drink, it was hot in Barcelona compared to Nova Scotia and he had been waiting outside for half an hour. Sure, he could’ve gone inside but he had forgotten his key oh so long ago when he left. Jorge seemed restless, not knowing what to do. The past few months had been full of him pining and yearning, it wasn’t fun, but it was something to do, and now he felt like he was floating away into the clouds. Nothing was tying him down to earth anymore, he was no longer waiting by the telephone, waiting for it to ring. No, Benji was here; if his phone rang now, he would actually wonder who it was. He sat down beside Benji, stood up to open the window, sat down again and began tapping his foot restlessly. Benji looked at him frowning. He had never seen Jorge move so much in less than a minute. He laced their fingers together, causing Jorge to freeze and look at him, looking grateful. Benji smiled, turning back to the other two. 

“What happened in Canada?” Noen asked. Everyone was silent. Everyone wanted to know, Noen just had the decency to voice it. Benji was silent for a moment, before nodding as though he was asking himself whether or not he should tell them. 

“Well” he began, Noen and Antonio sitting on the floor in front of the couch like a class of grade schoolers ready for Storytime. Jorge joined them in the floor, shrugging at Antonio’s weird look. He sat between the two, looking up at Benji expectantly. Benji took a breath and began to speak. “When I first got there, my parents were at the hospital, so I just dropped my stuff off and took a cab to the hospital. My brother Thomas was there, he was arguing with some poor nurse who was just trying to get off her shift. He seemed surprised to see me which was weird because you would think my parents would tell him that there son, who previously ran off to another country, was coming back to see his brother” Benji shrugged, sipping his tea. The three nodded along, Antonio leaning on Jorge’s shoulder and Noen looking like he was debating whether or not he should lay down. “So, I talked to Rowyn and went to my old house here I initially fell asleep” he shrugged. They looked at him expectantly. “What?” he asked.

“You were gone for seven months, that was the recap of one day” Antonio accused, shoving his knee. He shrugged.

“So?” he asked. 

“Por favor?” Jorge whined, smiling hopefully. Benji rolled his eyes, settling back in his seat. He still had to learn to tell Jorge no.

“Fine, fine, fine” he shook his head, scoffing at their upturned faces, curiosity painted in their eyes. “It was okay the first few days, my dad was still a bit cold to me, my mom was better though, I’m sure she was simply happy I was safe no matter how much she disapproved of me. Rowy and Thomas were always asking questions about here and you guys, they thought I made Noen up” he chuckled at that. “But as they asked me questions, they sounded like they wanted what I had, the freedom the recklessness I guess, and dear old dad didn’t like that. A few nights after I got there, he ordered me to stop talking about it like I was a child again. Of course, I didn’t and that night at dinner I made sure to tell everyone the story about how my lock got stuck and you guys had to help me, to make a point” he frowned. “I immediately regretted it of course when later that night he hit me, like actually hit me, in the face, like a grown man would hit another grown man, in a really petty way” he explained. A collective gasp erupted from the three as if they hadn’t expected it. 

“What did your mom say?” Noen asked. 

“Nothing, she acted as if it didn’t happen, as if I always had a split lip, you know?” he shrugged. Jorge regretted it, he didn’t want to hear this, he thought it was going to be a good story, yeah, he knew he and his father had their differences, but it was never that bad, not that he knew of anyway,

“¿Por qué no me lo dijiste?” (Why didn’t you tell me?) Jorge asked, tugging on his pants leg. 

“Because, I knew how you’d react” he shrugged, booping his nose. Jorge rolled his eyes looking annoyed; he wasn’t, he just looked like it. “You would think I’d leave right then, right? I was going to, but I had no money and Rowyn was still in bad condition, I had to stay” he shrugged, running a hand through his hair. The three nodded. “come on, you guys are acting like children” Benji complained, standing up. He loved Noen and Antonio, but he honestly just wanted to be with Jorge for a while, or forever, that worked to. “I need to shower, personally, and unpack, we can continue this later, yeah?” he asked, although it wasn’t really open to discussion. He didn’t want to talk about it, no matter how much they did. Jorge stood up, following him down the hall, bag in hand. 

“You forgot something, mi sol” (my sun) he smiled sweetly, holding the suitcase out. Benji nodded, taking it, muttering a thank you. Jorge nodded, walking over, and wrapping his arms around his waist. 

“God, I missed you” Benji said exasperated, hugging him tight. Jorge giggled, nodding. Jorge looked up; their eyes locked. He leaned forward, their lips seconds away from touching, Benji held Jorge’s chin, closing the distance, sliding his tongue across the seam of his lips. Jorge gasped, letting Benji’s tongue slide across his own. It felt so intimate so right, to be there with him, the taste of tea and mint fresh on his tongue as they explored each other since they hadn’t been able to months before. It was soft and sweet, and Jorge would be lying if he said he didn’t like it, but there was something. Something deep inside of him that seemed to respond to the heat of Benji pressed against him, grounding him to the spot he was standing in. He wanted more, needed more, and he didn’t waste time taking it farther. He went up on his tip toes, trying to deepen the kiss, in turn Benji gripped his hair gently, pulling him impossibly close. Jorge whined quietly, nipping at Benji’s lower lip, pulling away. Benji’s eyes were glazed over with want; Jorge could feel his heart beating beneath his fingertips. The sunlight streaming through the window outlining Benji’s hair, giving him a halo effect and Jorge never saw something so right. He itched for his camera. The need was gone when Benji leaned down, kissing him harder than before, more urgent. Jorge greeted the kiss with enthusiasm, walking back so Benji’s knees hit the bed and he sat, Jorge climbing into his lap, straddling his legs. The cold metal of Benji’s rings contrasted to the heated skin of Jorge’s back as he slid his hands under his shirt, feeling along his spine running his finger gently over the hem of him jeans. Jorge sighed, tilted Benji’s head back so he had better access to his mouth. Their tongues danced together, finding a rhythm that worked for both of them, it didn’t really matter though because they would do whatever anyway. Jorge pulled away for a second to breathe, fluttering his eyes closed when Benji began kissing down his neck, sucking small, barely there marks into the skin there. Jorge’s legs felt weak when Benji’s tongue glided over a spot beneath his ear, shivers coursing through him. Benji took not of that and did it again, hard, before latching his lips onto that part and sucking a particularly dark spot there. Jorge whimpered, his heart racing and his head emptying itself of anything besides Benji here, Benji now, the taste of Benji in his mouth as they connected for another kiss. Benji’s grip on Jorge’s sides tightened as they kissed, more than likely leaving fingerprints in its wake. Jorge didn’t care though; he would look at it later and smile at the memory of what happened. 

“Benjamin” Jorge whispered as he felt the familiar sensation in his jeans. He wasn’t sure if that’s what Benji wanted yet, wasn’t sure where this going. Benji pulled him down so he was sitting directly on him. Jorge whined. They were in the same both, if Benji’s own stiffened cock was anything to go by. Jorge took the liberty to roll his hips forward, earning a small moan from Benji. Jorge did it again, wanting to hear it again. It was the hottest thing he had ever heard after all. Benji still him, not wanting to move through this so fast, wanting some sort of romance to go into it. The sun lit up a clear pathway to him and Jorge, like some spotlight. He could see the natural highlights in Jorge’s hair, the freckles he hadn’t noticed before. He moved his hands to Jorge’s back, pressing a soft kiss on him chest. Jorge blushed, because now was when he chose to feel sheepish. 

“Jorge, look at me” Benji coaxed, looking at him. Jorge met his gaze nodding. “Are you sure you want this?” he asked, gently. He left plenty of room for a no, prepared for it even. He would understand, kiss him some more, then shower ad unpack, with Jorge present at all times of course, he would never turn him out for saying no. Jorge, however, threw that plan out the window with a simple ‘si’. Benji nodded, pulling him down into another breathless kiss, before helping him off his lap so they could move up the bed. Jorge resumed his position in his lap, this time with Benji’s back pressed against the wall. Jorge kissed him, his hands roaming all over his stomach and chest, giggling when Benji gasped when he brushed a finger over his nipple. They kissed for what felt like years, and that was okay because they weren’t in a hurry. Jorge ran his fingers down his chest, stopping at his belt buckle. He pulled back, looking at Benji to see if that was alright. Benji just nodded, pulling him back down for another bruising kiss. It was slightly difficult to unbuckle the belt without losing at it, but he managed to get it off and tossed on the floor. He then undid his jeans, pulling the flaps apart. He didn’t dare look down; he’d implode. Benji cupped his face, kissing him harder. There was something, something so hot about stripping down in front of someone you love. The slow teasing barely there touches that left his skin tingling, setting his nerve endings on fire. Jorge gently lifted Benji’s shirt, revealing his chest and stomach and fuck, Jorge died right there. It was crazy to realize what a toll seeing something as simple as a bare chest could do to you when you’re anticipating something. He pulled his own shirt off afterwards, shivering at Benji’s touch along his body. He whimpered when Benji kissed each of his ribs, pushing him back so he was laying down and Benji was above him. He bit his lip as Benji kissed along his body, stopping at his jeans. He licked a gentle stripe across it, his tongue dipping slightly under it. Jorge shivered. Benji smirked as he slowly unbuckled his pants. He didn’t stop there though, he continued to pull them down, revealing his boxers and his smooth thighs. He left a gentle kiss there and continued, tossing them away. He pulled separated his legs, resting between them. Jorge had his eyes closed, his heart racing in anticipation. 

“Is this okay?” Benji asked quietly, kissing along his hip bone. Jorge nodded, whimpering quietly. Benji tapped his leg so he would look at him, asking him again. 

“Si” he whined, moving his hips up in anticipation, needing some sort of contact. Benji nodded, pulling his boxers down slowly, his heart fluttering when his cock sprang up. Benji wasted no time, leaning forward licking a long stripe up the side, slowly and teasingly. Jorge whimpered, throwing his arm over his eyes, forcing himself to stay still. Benji wrapped his lips around the shaft, bobbing his head shallowly, using his hand for what he hadn’t gotten to with his mouth yet. Jorge was a whimpering mess, trying to stay quiet, unsure whether or not Antonio and Noen stuck around. Benji went down fast, taking all of him, surprising a startled moan out of Jorge. Benji smirked as best as he could with a cock in his mouth and bobbed his head some more. Jorge was growing closer and closer to his climax and part of him wanted to greet it with open arms, the other part, the larger part of him which didn’t want it over so soon, nudged Benji’s shoulders. Benji say up, his lips puffy and spit slicked. Jorge pushed him back, so he was on top, kissing him hard as he pulled his jeans and boxers off the rest of the way. He was moving fast then, wanting Benji more than anything. 

“Lube” Benji said, confusing Jorge. He frowned at him. “To prepare you” Benji helped, earning a nod from Jorge. He looked around, then back at Benji expectantly. They were in Benji’s room after all. “Oh, uh, bottom drawer on my night table” he informed, pointing to the table beside the bed. Jorge nodded, leaning off the bed to reach the drawer. Benji had to hold his hips to keep him from falling off the bed as he searched the drawer, finally finding a travel sized bottle of the substance, frowning. “I use it to jerk off” Benji flushed, explaining its half emptiness. Jorge nodded, smiling at the thought of Benji laying in the dark, getting off to thoughts of what, exactly? What do most guys think of when they do that? Jorge only ever did it a few times and never really remembered what he thought of. He handed the bottle to Benji, blushing. No one had ever touched him there, no one had ever even touched his dick. He wondered if Benji knew that. Knew that he had never had sex with someone because he never loved someone so much to do it. 

“Sabes que soy virgen, ¿verdad?” (You know I’m a virgin, right?) he asked. The look that crossed his face told Jorge otherwise. “¿Ya no quieres?” (Do you not want to do it anymore?) he asked nervously. He wasn’t even sure why he had to tell Benji that anyway. Who cared? Not Jorge, but apparently Benji did.

“Holy shit Jorge, I’m your first?” he asked, his eyes looked sad. Jorge nodded. Benji shook his head. “Were you not going to tell me that? Jorge, I-I’ve I was about to take your virginity without even knowing, I was going to take your innocence and god damn I was going to take it hard to, but now? I don’t-I want this to be special, not that it wouldn’t have been special in the first place but now” he shook his head, feeling like an ass. 

“Benjamin juro a los cielos altos si no me follas en este instante lo haré yo mismo! No me importa si es mi primera vez, sólo quiero estar cerca de ti!” (Benjamin, I swear to the high skies if you don't fuck me right now, I'll do it myself! I don't care if it's my first time, I just want to be around you!) Jorge ordered, settling on his thighs. Benji swallowed hard. That was the hottest thing Jorge had ever said, or at least close to it. But it was special, it was supposed to be romantic when your virginity was taken, it wasn’t supposed to be taken in the back of a Porsche parked on the football field after a good game, that’s not how it was supposed to be. That’s not how it was going to be. Benji laid Jorge on his back, settling on his knees between his legs. He put a pillow under Jorge to lift his hips up, coating his fingers in the liquid, spreading it over the digits in order to warm it up. He placed a reassuring hand on the inside od his thigh, slowly circling his finger around his hole. Jorge tried moving his hips down, but Benji stopped him, giving him a look. “¡Vamos! He hecho esta parte antes, no duele” (Come on! I’ve done this part before, it doesn’t hurt) he whined. Benji set his jaw, quickly thrusting in his index finger, smiling at the sounds Jorge made. He was right though, it didn’t hurt him, in fact he seemed to be enjoying himself to the highest degree. Benji soon added his middle finger, stretching him, not wanting to put Jorge through any pain once so ever. Jorge was a moaning mess, clutching the sheets and rocking back against his fingers. Eventually, Jorge was panting for another, whining when he got it. Benji wasn’t one to deny people of what they wanted, and this was no exception. “¡Cerca, estoy tan cerca!” (Close, I’m so close) Jorge warned, resulting in Benji immediately pulling away to let him relax. 

“Está bien, te tengo.” (It’s okay, I got you) Benji reassured, petting his thighs softly. Jorge whined at his words, not at the words, but at the fact that he sounded so hot when he spoke Spanish. Eventually he nodded, ready for Benji. Benji reached over into the same drawer, grabbing a condom. He watched Jorge’s face as he opened the foil, sliding in on. It was a little uncomfortable, but then again what did he expect. He crawled closer to Jorge, leaning down, and kissing him softly. “Dime si te duele, ¿de acuerdo?” (Tell me if it hurts alright?) he asked, earning a nod from Jorge. He lined himself up with Jorge, slowly sliding in. He only then realized he forgot to add lube, but Jorge just whimpered, wrapping his legs around his waist, his head pressed against the pillows. Benji continued until he bottomed out, extremely proud of how well Jorge took that, especially for a virgin. “Tan buen bebé” (So good baby) he smiled, kissing his lips gently. Jorge moaned into the kiss, falling in love with the fullness of Benji. 

“Mover” (Move) he whispered; his lips parted in a silent mon as Benji did just that. He started off gentle and slow, matching the pace of the clock on the wall. Jorge was satisfied with that until he wasn’t, urging him to go faster and harder. Benji accepted such requests because who was really in control? Him or the one his dick was buried in? He was going to go with Jorge as he matched his pace, pulling him down and kissing him hard. Benji moved slightly so he could try and find the spot that would have him seeing stars. He found it rather fast with the way Jorge called his name and tightened his legs around his waist. Benji wasn’t sure how much longer he could last with the way Jorge sounded and looked. He said just as much, with a nod of agreement from Jorge, who’s cock lay neglected on his stomach. He whimpered when he nailed his prostate over and over, sending waves of unrelenting pleasure through his veins. Not long after his back arched and he was spilling over his stomach with a sob. Benji not far behind, coming hard into the condom. Jorge pulled him down into a kiss, panting against his lips.   
“Gracias”, he whispered almost inaudibly.

“Con gusto” (My pleasure) he replied, smiling when Jorge wrapped his arms around his shoulders, nuzzling against his neck. Benji pulled out, disposing of the condom in the trash can beside the bed and laughed and Jorge sleepy face. “Come on baby, get up we’re covered in sweat and come and that’s no fun” Benji smiled. 

“Tired” he mumbled, closing his eyes. 

“I know, but you still need to be clean” Benji persuaded, and Jorge relented because Benji was right. Jorge really wasn’t in the mood to sleep like that, so he pulled on his boxers and followed Benji to the bathroom, just in case the other two were still there. Benji ran the water, cutting the shower head on, which Jorge was thankful for. What was the point in sitting in a tub of sweat infused water? Jorge stepped in beside Benji, smiling as Benji washed his body for him, which Jorge did in return. It probably shouldn’t have been possible. Benji hadn’t meant to, but the way Jorge was kissing him underneath the hot spray was filthy and he hadn’t even realized he was hard until Jorge ground against him. “fuck” he muttered drawing out the word. Jorge smiled, reaching between them, and wrapping his hand around his member. Benji leaned his head back against the wall as Jorge got to his knees, gasping when he was enveloped by the heat of his mouth. He didn’t last long as Jorge licked and around the head, his tongue dipping into the slit. He gasped as he came again, not as much as before but he still did. Jorge pulled away. He was about to apologize about not warning him, when Jorge swallowed, licking his lips. If Benji had been able to, or had the energy, he would have been hard again. Fortunately for him though, he didn’t have the energy, so he grabbed towels for them as Jorge cut the shower off. 

Back in his room, Jorge pulled on a pair of boxers he borrowed from Benji and climbed onto the bed. Benji did the same, crawling in beside him, wrapping his arms around his waist. Distantly the sound of church bells rang, signalling it was six o’clock, or time to go to hell, depending on who you asked. Benji smirked at the irony, kissing Jorge’s sleeping forehead before drifting off himself.


	14. Chapter: Fourtenn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW Self harm. See additional notes at the end

“Later” Noen said, walking with Antonio back to his apartment. They had left as soon as Jorge followed Benji down the hall, both knowing where that would lead. 

“How do you even know?” Antonio asked, crossing her arms. 

“It’s Jorge, I’ve known him for years, I know when somethings up” he shrugged, swinging around alight post. Antonio frowned. 

“I still don’t believe it, how could anyone ever try and hurt him?” she asked, frowning. 

“Jealousy? I don’t know, Jorge’s such a sweet kid, he should’ve been able to leave bullying in high school” Noen shrugged. 

“This isn’t bullying, Noen, this is harassment, this man, what’s his name again?” she asked, looking at him.

“Samuel” he reminded.

“Samuel goes out of his way to belittle and hurt Jorge, there have been times where I have heard him crying and not the crying he does when he’s having a particularly rough day missing Benji, no this was the sound of someone who felt worthless” Antonio shuddered, pissed anyone would make Jorge feel that way. “Why haven’t you told Sebastian?” she asked. 

“Because there is no proof, Jorge would never tell, and he doesn’t even know I know” Noen explained. Antonio looked disgusted, as she should be. “I’m just going to tell Benji, he’ll take care of it” Noen informed quietly.

“Have you met Benji? He’s the softest human being ever, he’ll confront Samuel and instead of beating the shit out of him for messing with Jorge, he’d offer to buy him a drink or mouthing” Antonio frowned. 

“I doubt it, when someone is causing Jorge to feel that way, to hurt himself to make it do away, I’m positive Benji will kick their asses and probably end up in jail” Noen informed. As much as he wanted to see Samuel get what he deserved, Benji in jail was not a good thing. 

“Wait, he’s been hurting himself?” Antonio asked, stopping. Noen nodded, stopping along with her. “Hurting himself how?” she asked.

“You haven’t seen the cuts on his arms?” he asked. He had seen them almost immediately, asking what they were. Jorge said was carrying a vase for his flowers and fell. 

“No” she exclaimed, shaking her head. “How did Benji not see them?” she sked. 

“He just got home to his loving boyfriend after being gone for the majority of the year, I’m fairly sure the fact that Jorge is alive is the only thing that matters. If he didn’t see, maybe he’s choosing not to, you know?” Noen shrugged. Antonio was unsatisfied with that. 

“He should be able to notice something so wrong with the supposed love of his life” Antonio frowned. 

“Antonio, they dated for like a week before Benji left, the majority of their relationship has been long distance, how the hell would he be able to sense such a change in him? Benji barely knows anything about Jorge, so it doesn’t surprise me he doesn’t know this” Noen informed. Antonio rose an eyebrow. 

“Are you mad they re together?” she asked, raising her own eyebrows. 

“No, I’m glad they are, I’m just saying he wouldn’t be able to notice the shift in Jorge’s mood if it smacked him in the face” Noen shrugged. Antonio shook her head. She considered Noen to be one of her best friends, however she knew he was wrong about this and prayed Benji did know. Prayed Benji talked to him, asked him about it, reassured him of it, made him feel better. No one else could and she recognised that. She was glad Jorge had someone like Benji, some people didn’t. 

“Whatever” she shrugged, continuing down the sidewalk. Noen followed. 

*

Benji woke up before Jorge, like he often did. Well, did once before. He smiled at their laced fingers. He was so happy he almost forgot everything outside of his room. Outside of Jorge. He ran his thumb over Jorge’s hand lifting it and kissing the back gently. He froze when he saw small, barely there lines dotting his wrist. They were light, only a shade lighter than his skin, but Benji saw them. Benji saw them and regretted every decision he had made the past few months that kept him from Jorge. He wanted, needed, to know who caused his boy to feel so bad that he had to hurt himself like that. His throat felt tight as he ran his fingers over them gently, kissing each one. He had never been to angry, yet so proud. Jorge had the chance, on multiple occasions by the looks of a few fresh-looking cuts on his arm, to take him life, to be free of this awful place, but he didn’t. he stayed strong no matter how weak he felt. Benji pulled him closer, gripping him tight against his chest, burying his nose into his watermelon scented curls. he closed his eyes against the tears, biting his lip and immediately regretted it. It was still split from the previous fight he and his dad had and it had been reopened when the two were kissing earlier. He sighed, pressing a kiss to Jorge’s forehead. He wanted nothing more than to talk to him about it, but something told him that’s what Noen wanted to talk to him about. He would call Noen later and ask, then he’d talk to Jorge. Find out why and when. What drove him to this point? Benji’s heart sank. What if it was because of him? What if Jorge was so torn up about Benji’s absent he turned to self-harm? Benji would never forgive myself if that were true. He watched Jorge’s sleeping face, which looked so peaceful, a little smile on his lips as though he was having a good dream. Benji only wished he would feel like that when he woke up, and even after that. Wanted nothing more than Jorge’s happiness, feeling as though it were the only way he himself could be happy. He ran his fingertips over his cheek, making silent promises he could hopefully keep this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short and probably sloppy, but I just wanted to give a sneak peek into Noen and Benji's conversation later. I toyed with so many possibilities as to what it could be, but this option brought along the most conflict as well as character development. Sorry if the topic upsets anyone and if you want you don't have to read the next chapter, and I don't think I'll bring it up so heavily after it, it will mainly focus on Jorge's job and Samuel and how it started. Also, in the upcoming chapters we will get a glimpse of Protective Benji which is always fun. That's it, sorry to bore you with my an's. Love you, bye💖


	15. Chapter: Fifteen

It was dark when Benji woke up again, and the spot beside him empty. He could hear light chatter in the distance, which more than likely meant Antonio and Noen were back from whatever excursion they went on earlier. Benji smiled, but it soon faded when he remembered Jorge’s arm. He was got up, searching through the dim room for a pair of pants to put on and a sweater. Their laughter blended together into a single sound of happiness and Benji could almost forget. He wasn’t even sure what to do in this situation, sure he had known people in high school who talked about doing but they didn’t actually, they just liked the attention. He walked down the hall, stretching his arms above his head. Sure enough, Noen and Antonio were on the couch, Jorge in the armchair. He met Noen’s eyes wanting to talk now but knowing he couldn’t just tear him away from the conversation. Instead, he leaned against Jorge’s chair, smiling at everyone.

“I can’t believe he said that” Antonio was laughing, Benji had no idea who ‘he’ was, but apparently, he said something she couldn’t believe. 

“Does anyone want something to eat?” Benji announced. Noen nodded, looking at Benji. 

“Food sounds amazing right now” Antonio said. Jorge agreed. 

“How about, Noen and I cook something?” Benji asked, smiling. 

“Okay? Antonio shrugged, patting the spot next to her, a scrap book of sorts appearing in her hands. “Want to see Benji when he was a little kid, Jorge?” she asked. Jorge practically jumped on the couch beside her. The other two walked to the kitchen.

“Subtle” Noen complimented sarcastically, leaning against the counter. 

“Well, how else was I going to get you alone?” he asked, opening the cabinets. He grabbed flour, yeast, oil, and a cup of water placing it all on the counter. Noen was silent as he began measuring and mixing ingredients. 

“What exactly are you making?” Noen asked, daring a step closer. 

“Pizza” he informed, mixing the dry ingredients then adding the wet. 

“You know how to make pizza from scratch?” Noen asked, slightly impressed. 

“Yeah, my grandma taught me” he smiled, “Why? do I not look like I can cook?” he asked. Noen nodded. 

“Honestly, yeah” he laughed. Benji shook his head, laughing as well. They were stalling, they were very much aware of it too. 

“I needed to-“

“I saw the cuts, Noen” Benji interrupted, his voice low and steady. Noen was silent, the air between them seeming to thicken. Benji could tell Noen was surprised he said this, leaving Benji to wonder if that was what he wanted to talk about in the first place. “What happened? What drove him to that? Why didn’t he tell me?” Benji asked, his voice still calm, if not a little broken. 

“There’s this guy at work, Sam, he tried to get with Jorge” Noen explained. Benji shrugged at that, of course he did, had None not looked at Jorge ever? He gestured for him to keep talking. “Well, Jorge said no, that he was seeing someone, Sam didn’t take it to well” he informed, pausing for a minute, and looking away. Those words left a sour feeling in his stomach, his blood boiling even though he didn’t know the whole story. “He kept trying though, kept flirting with him, touching his arm and stuff, Jorge didn’t want any of it he really did-“

“No shit sherlock, stop trying to defend his honour I know Jorge would never” Benji interrupted, not wanting to hurt Noen but wanting to rip this band-aid of a story off. 

“Eventually, after a few days of Jorge’s rejection, he started to be mean to him, started calling him names and spreading rumours around the studio that he tried to force him to do things” Noen explained. 

“Who?” Benji asked. 

“Jorge tried to force Sam to like go on dates with him and such” Noen clarified. Benji scoffed. “Jorge almost got fired because of it, but what Sam didn’t anticipate is Sebastian likes Jorge, the two are friends to be exact, so Sebastian immediately shut the whole thing down, giving Sam a citation for sexual harassment because Jorge told him everything, That pissed Sam off farther because not only did he get cited, he got cited over a man” he shrugged. Benji nodded, he couldn’t even try to brag about it, Benji had witnessed that happen, because it was the same gender and the majority of the population was pathetically homophobic. “He started being downright horrible to Jeyjey, calling him slut and whore and telling him no one cared about him, the words cut into him, practically being carved into his heart” Noen shook his head. “I tried to help him, but whenever I asked, he just got frustrated and angry saying it was fine that he was fine just tired” he frowned. Benji could feel the failure radiating off of Noen. “I’m his best friend and he couldn’t talk to me; you’re his boyfriend and he didn’t say anything. I just thought you should know so you could try to do something about it, like praise him or something, tell him you love him a lot” Noen shrugged. “Be gentle” he added, looking into Benji’s eyes, a knowing glint in them. Benji looked away blushing. 

“Has Sam been fired or anything?” Benji asked, noting the shake of Noen’s head. Benji turned back to the pizza he was trying to prepare, his eyes prickling with tears. Eventually the toppings were on the two pizzas and they were in the oven. He set the timer and left the kitchen, plopping down beside Jorge on the couch where he was listening to a story Antonio was telling from when they were children. 

“I swear, he painted a butterfly on one side and a flower on the other and wore it for the rest of the day, he did not care” she giggled. Jorge laughed as well, just not as bright as he used too, as if something were missing. Benji ached everywhere. Benji leaned down pecking Jorge’s collar bone, then his ear, whispering ‘I love you’ in Spanish. Jorge nodded, leaning back against him. “So, you two?” she asked, making obscene gestures with her fingers. 

“Antonio!” Jorge exclaimed, gently shoving her. Benji laughed, that was just Antonio being Antonio. 

“Well?” she asked, as if she wanted details. 

“I think that’s a you and Jorge thing, not a you, Jorge, Noen and me thing” Benji informed, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks. He loved Antonio but he wasn’t about to give her details about his sex life, nope, not happening. Jorge nodded, promising to tell her everything later. Benji had no idea what later he was talking about but dreaded it anyway. 

“So, what did you guys decide to make?” she asked.

“Pizza” they said together, causing them to laugh awkwardly. No one was going to point out the fact that Benji was the only one who did anything. Everyone fell silent for a minute, lost in their own respective thoughts when Jorge sneezed, startling everyone. They fell into easy conversation after that, mainly talking about nothing. It was easy to talk about nothing, when you gave a conversation substance it snowballed into deep things, like questions of the universe and no one wanted that. Not when there were scars on wrists and failure in hearts. It was easier to distract themselves into forgetting their problems. Almost to easy. 

*

Noen slept on the couch that night, Antonio falling asleep against his shoulder. Benji would’ve woke them up except they just looked to cute. Jorge even snapped a polaroid of them. Benji and Jorge went off to bed soon after Antonio started snoring, silently wishing them a good night. Jorge grabbed one of Benji’s sweaters, sitting on the bed while Benji searched around for his retainer. Jorge laughed when Benji told him he needed one, but suddenly stopped when Benji kissed him gently, promising to be right back. Meanwhile Bei was searching the apartment, Jorge looked around his room. The walls were bland except for a wall of polaroids across the room. There were multiple of Benji and Antonio and few others that looked a little like Benji but not a lot. Jorge took a piece of tape and stuck the one he just took onto it, right between one of Benji making a funny face an a over exposed silhouette of someone wearing a sundress ankle deep in the ocean. Jorge assumed it was Antonio. He ran his fingers over one of Benji on a bike, his face turned to the sky, binoculars in over his eyes. He looked so carefree. Jorge pulled the sleeves of the sweater farther over his arms, looking away from the wall. Benji walked back in, saying a garbled rendition of ‘found it’. Jorge laughed, getting back into the bed, Benji beside him. Jorge wasn’t tired in the slightest having slept that afternoon, Benji didn’t look to tired either. Jorge ran his fingertips of Benji’s lips and cheek, smiling bright. Jorge was reminded of the night of their first date, the way Benji had felt against him the first time they properly kissed. He felt so warm and alive, as though nothing could bring him down. Jorge felt compelled to make Benji proud, proud to call him his boyfriend. Proud to love him, to have him. It sounded easy, Benji wasn’t hard to please, but Jorge knew it would be harder than it seemed. He’d have to crawl out of the deep pit he was steadily sinking farther into as though it were quicksand. He knew in his heart he could do it, but his head kept throwing up roadblocks telling him he couldn’t. He was pulled from his thoughts by a gentle kiss from Benji and a gentle ‘what are you thinking’. Jorge shook his head, kissing him in return, smiling. Jorge was convinced they could kiss until dawn if they wanted, but Jorge was growing tired under the warm blankets and Benji’s comforting arm around him. he couldn’t help but drift off. He didn’t dream that night, merely because he felt as though he was when he was with Benji, and who needed to dream when you had the sensation of dreaming already?


	16. Chapter Sixteen

A week passed; each day more eventful than the last. Benji had to find a new job since the library was finished, Sam was on vacation, so Jorge didn’t have to worry about his tyranny, not to mention he was out of the studio more often than not for the projects assigned by Sebastian. Benji and Jorge decided Benji should move in with him, leaving Antonio the apartment. She insisted she didn’t want to be alone so Noen moved in with her. Quite uneventful, so uneventful that there was vague sense that something eventful was about to happen. 

It didn’t. Another week past, and although Sam was back, Jorge was rarely around the studio when he was. Christmas came and went, leaving all four friends exhausted on New Year’s. They were all happy though, there was no denying that. 

The letter came a week after that, for Jorge from his parents. His cousin Maria was getting married in the spring, his invitation was enclosed in the letter, saying he could bring as many friends as he pleased, he just had to let them know in advance. Jorge refused to go. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of not only his family but her fiancé’s family. Benji, being the persuasive man he is, convinced him to R.S.V.P, and take all three of them with him in order to feel less awkward. Jorge refused, even as he wrote back and sent his confirmation of him, Benji, Noen, and Antonio. Benji told him he was proud that he did the right thing, kissed his cheek, and cooked dinner. Jorge freaking out the whole time. 

That’s how he got where he is now, looking for a dress for Antonio. She was incredibly picky. The three boys got their outfits rather quickly. Each of them picked out an outfit that consisted of nice dark jeans and button ups because Jorge despised suits and he didn’t want to do it in the first place, so Noen and Benji decided to make it better for him. Antonio held up a long sparkly blue dress. 

“What about this one?” she asked, holding it up to her body.

“I think you need something shorter” Benji said, picking up the same dress just at knee length. “Like this one” he said, holding it up to her instead.

“You’re right, but not in this design, if its short it needs to have movement, like a sun dress but nice” she informed, going to the summer section of the boutique. She picked up several before she settled on a creamy white one with little red roses all over the front. It was sleeveless, a single strap went around her neck. “This is gorgeous” she announced, turning to Jorge. “What do you think?” she asked, giving an experimental twirl. Jorge just shrugged from where he say. He hadn’t said anything the whole trip, which even Benji found to be rather dramatic. 

“Su bonito” (It’s pretty) he informed, not wanting to annoy Antonio, he knew she was excited for this. 

“Perfect, let me try it on and see if it fits okay” she announced, disappearing into the dressing room. Benji joined Jorge on the love seat he was sitting on. 

“Qué pasa cariño?” (What’s wrong honey) he said, having begun speaking Spanish with him more. 

“¿Debemos irnos? No es tarde para echarse atrás” (Must we go? It’s not to late to back out) he whined. Benji shook his head. “No lo entiendes, no he hablado con mis padres en casi tres años, y ahora voy a aparecer como si nada hubiera pasado.” (You don’t understand, I haven’t talked to my parents in almost three years and now I’m just going to show up like nothing happened) he explained quietly, the girl behind the register seemed rather interested in what they were saying by the way she was inconspicuously hanging dresses only a few feet away. 

“Don’t worry it’ll be fine; can you switch to English for me? That girl is eavesdropping” he said quietly. Jorge huffed. 

“I just don’t get why they seemed so okay in the letter; they didn’t seem upset at all” he frowned. It was true, the way his mother wrote the letter it sounded as though they were almost excited to contact him when they hadn’t tried for years. Before Benji could respond, Antonio walked out, looking stunning as usual. She spun around quickly, the dress floating up and almost showing her underwear. 

“I love it” Benji informed with a agreeing nod from Jorge. Antonio smiled happily, going back in the dressing room. Now they would have to find shoes, a purse, and accessories. Jorge could feel the impending headache. It was a dull ache at the base of his skull already. Antonio bought the dress and led the two out of the shop, practically skipping down the sidewalk. Benji gave Jorge a soothing smile, taking his hand and following her. 

They came to another shop in the square, this one full of anything you needed to go with a dress, which was surprising since Jorge had never seen the shop. They walked in alongside Antonio who was already scanning the space. Jorge busied himself by a display of ankle bracelets much like the gold one he always wore. Benji went after Antonio, wanting to look at the necklaces. The store was quiet besides the gentle whirring of the overhead fan and the occasional sound of necklaces chiming together in the small breeze. Jorge liked the silence, liked it much better than the oud chatter that had been the other store. He didn’t even notice the two girls that had walked up beside him until they started speaking. 

“Don’t worry, we wont be in in so much trouble, we’re adults now, your parents need to lay off” One with wavy light brown hair said. The other had long dark hair and a worried look in her eyes. 

“I don’t care about getting in trouble, I’m worried that my mother is going to put my face on a milk carton” she complained. 

“Calm down, Charlotte. We’re in Barcelona! Enjoy it” she smiled in content. The one called charlotte didn’t seem convinced, however. 

“Abby, I mean it” she informed. 

“What are we going to do? Spend more money on a trip home?” ‘Abby’ asked. Charlotte was quiet after that. Neither girls seemed to notice Jorge, which he was perfectly fine with. They could co-exist in silence by the display quite nicely, or they would have if it hadn’t been for Benji who walked over, accidentally bumping into a shelf showing off rings and making a bunch of noise. Jorge winced. 

“¿Estás bien?” (Are you alright?) Jorge said at the same time that either Abby or Charlotte asked in English. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good thanks, Jorge, Antonio wants you to come look at a necklace she picked out” Benji explained, not paying any mind to the girls who were staring at him. 

“Bastante justo” (Fair enough) he shrugged. Before they walked away, Abby stopped them. 

“Are you two like together-together?” she asked, earning an elbow to the ribs by Charlotte. 

“Sí, lo somos, no sé por qué te importa aunque” (Yes, we are, I don’t know what it matters to you though) Jorge said, having no desire to talk to them. The two looked confused, bringing a smile to his face. 

“What he is trying to say is yes, we are. I’m Benji, this is Jorge” Benji introduced, smiling politely. 

“I’m Abby and this is Charlotte, we’re on vacation” she informed. 

“No, we are not! Abby thought it would be a good idea to convince me to come here with her without telling our parents. We have nowhere to stay and no idea where to start looking for a place, not to mention neither of us speak Spanish” Charlotte scolded, worry n her face. Benji felt bad for her. He had felt the same when he first came to Barcelona, not as severely because he had an idea of what to do, but still a little uneasy. 

“You can stay with us” Benji announced. 

“Really?” they asked, earning a concerned look from Jorge. Benji was to nice for his own good, allowing these two strangers to temporarily move in with them! But they did seem nice enough. 

“Yeah, well, no, if you don’t feel comfortable staying with me and Jorge, out friend Antonio can house you, Noen could stay with us, he won’t mind” Benji smiled. 

“No way! You guys are too kind!” Charlotte exclaimed. Benji blushed. 

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Antonio” he suggested, leading them to the bac where Antonio was holding two necklaces that were the exact same simply different shades of red.

“Which one?” she asked, turning to them, her eyes falling on the two editions to the group. 

“This is Abby and Charlotte, we just met them” Benji informed. 

“I love your nails” Antonio addressed both girls, forgetting about the necklaces. 

“Thank you! I love your outfit” Abby complimented, causing Antonio to smile, thinking back to that morning when Noen had questioned whether or not the boots looked okay with the shorts. 

“We found out that they just got here and have no where to go, so we offered them to stay with us-“

“No! They cant stay with two messy boys! They can stay with me, my apartment is much cleaner than yours, plus you two are no fun” Antonio interrupted. “I’ll send Noen to stay in your spare room” she informed. Benji shrugged at Jorge. That was that. “Can you two girls help me? I need a necklace for a wedding I am to attend, this is my dress” she said, pulling the dress from the bag. 

“Can we go?” Benji asked, gesturing for the door. 

“I don’t see why not, I finally have some girls to hang out with, I love you three, but boys just don’t get it” she shrugged. They waved to each other as Jorge and Benji left the shop. 

“Finalmente” (Finally) Jorge mumbled, shielding his eyes from the sun as they made their way home. 

“Are you alright?” Benji asked. He had yet to ask him about Sam, not wanting to upset him. 

“No, tengo dolor de cabeza.” (No, I have a headache) he informed matter of factly. 

“That’s all that’s wrong?” Benji asked as they approached the apartment. He pulled out his key, unlocking it easily and shoving it open. Jorge was quiet as he untied his tennis shoes and set them next to the door. Benji copied his actions, before going into the kitchen to grab them water. Jorge was laying on the couch, his eyes half lidded when Benji walked back over. Benji set the bottle on his forehead causing him to jerk away laughing. Benji kissed the access water away, before kissing his nose causing Jorge to roll his eyes. 

“Eres el mejor” (You’re the best) Jorge informed quietly, kissing him gently laying back as Benji deepened the kiss. They sat like that for a while, swapping lazy kisses and soft words that were only meant for each other. It was peaceful, it was right. Benji cherished every word spoken from Jorge’s lips, cherished each kiss and touch he gave him. Even if he knew it would last, even if he could see them growing old together, he still treated each one as though it were their first, locking it away into his heart where no one could take it away. He gestured for Jorge to sit up so he could lay with him, pulling him back down so Jorge was on top of him, his head resting on his chest. Even though it was hot outside, and wasn’t much cooler inside, they still wanted to be close to each other.   
Benji played with Jorge’s hair, teasing it between his fingers, hoping they could stay that way forever.


	17. Chapter: Seventeen

It took a little while for Jorge to warm up to the two new additions in the group. Charlotte was easier to get to know since she was quieter and less out there as to where Abby talked to everyone. She said hello to everyone, causing Jorge to mentally curse Benji for teaching her a few greetings in Spanish. With that on top of having to go to the wedding the following month, he had no space in his life for anything other than cringing at Abby’s extroversions and work. He could barely keep up with Benji anymore, Benji was a trooper though, always there when he needed a pick me up. Jorge tried his best to return the favour but some nights, he was just so tired. Extremely so, especially since Sebastian was out of town leaving him with nothing to do at the studio except sit with Noen and avoid Sam. He didn’t quite understand Sam’s reasoning for attacking him the way he did except to get back at him for rejecting him, which with the way he treated people you would think he’d be used to it by now. Jorge couldn’t help but be down on himself about the mess of a life he had. The only easy part about it was Noen and Benji because he felt so comfortable around them it was hard for it to be anything but. 

He fell back onto his and Benji’s bed, closing his eyes momentarily. Benji was still at work, he found work at the city centre, he worked as the receptionist, so he greeted people when they walked in and he wouldn’t be home until five. Noen was next door hanging out with the girls; Jorge was pretty sire they finally talked him into letting them do his make up or something. He wasn’t sure, they had done his last week. Sure, it was fun, but his face had felt weird. Jorge rolled over, staring at his dresser that held his Venus flytraps. You could also tell that Benji stayed there as well, his watch was laying beside the box as well as his rings. One of his jackets were thrown over the back of the chair in the corner and he had a stuffed bear on the bed, Jorge often cuddled it at night. He used to have a stuffed owl he slept with, but he forgot that at his parents house. He sighed, grabbing the bear, and curling up on the bed, nuzzling into it. It smelled like Benji. He yawned as he pulled the throw blanket at the foot of the bed onto himself. As quickly as he began drifting off, someone knocked on the front door. He groaned, feeling as if he had been robbed of something. He just wanted to sleep, that was it. He trudged to the front door to find no one there except for a box. A package? He had to get up for a package? He huffed, wishing there were a way he could see who was outside from his bed, that was impossible however and he could live with that, sometimes. 

Jorge grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen, easily slicing through the tape. The box was full of books, surprisingly enough. That explained the weight. He flipped through the top one, The Outsiders, before letting it fall back into the box. He had no idea who was mailed a bunch of books, but it wasn’t him. He left a note for whoever they belonged to and left them on the kitchen table. They could deal with them when they got there. It was probably Benji, Noen didn’t really read for pleasure that much, he never really had time, and when he did, he couldn’t sit still long enough to read much of anything. He went back to the bedroom, cursing at the realization that he was no longer tired. 

*

Benji unlocked the apartment door, whistling as he did so, making sure to stop when he walked in. Jorge was probably still napping like he normally was in the evenings. Benji couldn’t blame him, he’d do anything to avoid the heat for a few hours. That’s one thing he hadn’t anticipated with his move there, the incredible heat that never went away unless you were incredibly lucky. 

He switched the dining room lights on, frowning at the sight of a box. In Jorge’s handwriting, a note said ‘not mine’ causing him to smile. He opened the flaps of the cardboard, realizing it was full of his childhood books. He had asked his brothers to send them to him whenever they could, he wanted to read some of them to Jorge. He loved stories and it gave them something to do when they didn’t have anything to do. He Lifted the box up, walked down the hall and into their room, where sure enough Jorge was sleeping peacefully. He set the box down in front of the closet, crawling on the bed behind him. Benji wrapped his arm around his waist, kissing the back of his head, moving to his cheek. He needed to wake up if he expected to sleep later which Benji had half a mind to join him under the fluffy blanket and sleep the night through, but they needed dinner and they should hang out with Noen, he’d been hanging next door frequently and Benji was starting to take it personally. He laughed at that. Noen was probably over there because he was bored out of his mind and the girls always had something going on. Noen was the type of guy who never stopped moving, always ready for something to do, unlike Benji and Jorge who spent most evenings spooning on top the comforter because they had the intention of getting up, but if they were under the comforter they wouldn’t. It was simple knowledge. Benji laughed at that as well, freezing when Jorge began to move. 

“Come on, Jeyjey, you got to get up” Benji coaxed, rubbing his shoulder. Jorge whined, stretching, and turning over, the teddy bear forgotten as he buried his face in Benji’s chest. Benji chuckled, shaking him gently. “Wake up” he said, peppering kisses all over his face. Jorge scrunched his nose up, shaking his head. Benji slid his cold hands under Jorge’s shirt, laughing when he tried to shrink back into the bed to get away from them. No matter how hot it was outside, Benji’s hands were always practically ice. Benji rubbed along his stomach, his hands having warmed up against Jorge’s skin. 

“What do you want for dinner?” Benji asked, and somewhere along the way to Jorge’s ears it turned into something else since he answered with a simple “tú” (you) causing Benji to laugh. “No, Jorge, what do you want to eat?” he rephrased. Jorge shrugged, his face heating. Benji pulled Jorge up so he was sitting with Benji in front of him. His eyes were half lidded, his long eyelashes sweeping across his freckled cheeks. He was pouting, but Benji understood. He’d be pouting too if he were woken up for something as lame as dinner. He leaned forward, kissing him gently. Jorge was awake enough to reciprocate that, grabbing the front of his shirt and trying to pull him down on top of him. “Nice try, Jorge” Benji laughed, pulling Jorge on top of him instead. Yes, he was still laying down, but at least he wasn’t so comfortable that he would fall asleep. Benji misjudged that when Jorge kissed his neck quickly before drifting back off. Benji was once again defeated by him, however, he was not disappointed because Jorge was just to cute. He hugged him close, guessing a few more minutes wouldn’t kill anyone. He closed his own eyes only intending to rest them. 

*

Benji jerked awake when he felt Jorge’s elbow dig into his side. He sat up quickly, worried something was wrong. It wasn’t, Noen along with Antonio, Abby, and Charlotte were crowded in the room. 

“Why are you guys in here?” he complained, rubbing his eyes. Poor Jorge, he looked like he was on the verge of a tantrum. “What if we were having sex or something?” he asked, looking at them. There was no malice in his words, he just wanted them to actually think about it. 

“Well, you weren’t so there’s that” Antonio shrugged. Benji rolled his eyes, she had a point. 

“Still, ever heard of knocking?” he asked, slightly grumpy. 

“Ever heard of dinner at a reasonable hour? It’s nearly seven already” Antonio informed, the others not quite comfortable around Benji yet to participate in such banter, then again Antonio could’ve just met you and been comfortable with it. 

“No, I have not” Benji informed, sounding so serious it through Antonio off her game for a second. 

“Well, now you have, come on, we’re going to the diner” she informed, tossing him his jacket as if that made the invitation un-declinable. Benji shook his head, standing up. He’d go, but only because he was really hungry and didn’t feel like cooking anything. Jorge stood as well, grabbing his converse from beside the bed, tugging them on easily and followed Benji out. Benji always left his own shoes by the front door, he had tried to get Jorge to do that as well at one time, but he kept forgetting and Benji stopped worrying about it. He was unsure where they were going but wasn’t too worried about it as Jorge gripped his hand, leaning against him. 

They walked for what felt like an eternity when they came to cute diner called La Lola, Benji drove past it to get to work most days. Inside was pretty crowded, almost every booth filled with groups of people just getting off work. The group of six made their way to the back where the larger booths were in order to fit groups such as themselves. An older waitress called Jorge’s name and he turned around, smiling. 

“Carla!” he exclaimed, hugging her excitedly. Carla laughed as everyone sat down. 

“¿Quiénes son estas personas encantadoras? ¿No me digas que hiciste amigos?” (Who are these lovely people, don’t tell me you made friends?) she said, sounding much like a proud mother. 

“Sí, todo sucedió en contra de mi voluntad” (Yes, it all happened against my will) he joked, gesturing to the group who seemed to wave in unison. 

“Preséntame, ¿verdad?” (Introduce me why don’t you?) she suggested. 

“Bien, ese es Noen, Abby, Charlotte, Antonio, y ese es Benji” (Okay, that’s Noen, Abby, Charlotte, Antonio, and that’s Benji) he said, his voice softer upon saying Benji’s name. Carla smiled at Benji, then leaning over and whispering into Jorge’s ear. He blushed, a smile spreading over his face as he nodded. Benji’s own smile faltered, having the suspicion they were talking about him. Someone called for Carla and Jorge sat down. Benji looked at him, questioning him with a simple glance. “Ella me preguntó si tenía sentimientos especiales hacia ti, su forma de preguntar si estamos saliendo” (She asked if I had special feelings towards you, her way of asking if we’re dating) he informed quietly. Benji nodded, smiling. At least it wasn’t anything bad. Carla came back moments later, taking everyone’s orders, Antonio ordering for Abby and Charlotte due to there inability to speak or understand Spanish. 

“So, what are we doing this weekend?” Abby asked, looking around the table. 

“Sueño” (dreaming) Jorge informed, running a hand through his hair. Abby looked to Antonio for translation, but she was to busy agreeing to respond. 

“He said he’s going to be dreaming this weekend” Noen informed, laughing. 

“I’m serious guys! It’s my first weekend in Barcelona, we have to do something” she complained. 

“Do you not remember last weekend?” Antonio teased. Abby shook her head. 

“Last weekend was last weekend; this weekend is this weekend! We have to do something” she announced. 

“I have nothing better to do” Noen shrugged. 

“Me either” Antonio said relunctantly. Charlotte sighed, shrugging. 

“Fine” she mumbled. Benji still declined as well as Jorge. Abby smiled pleased with having three of the five join her in whatever she planned on doing. Jorge was glad he could sit that one out. he was probably going to play gardener and try to revive some of his plants that looked a bit droopy recently. As he four others made plans for the weekend, Benji and Jorge talked. They were practically in their own little world as Benji told him how his day was, Jorge doing the same in return. It was like that through-out dinner and on the walk back to their respective homes. 

Jorge began stripping of his close as he walked down the hall, used to living alone as well as being rather comfortable with his housemates. Benji followed him into the bathroom, taking his own clothes off. Jorge smiled when he felt Benji’s presence behind him as he started the water, climbing in.


	18. Chapter: Eighteen

Jorge closed his eyes as he felt Benji behind him, his gaze washing over every inch of him, bringing a pleasant heat wherever his eyes rested. Jorge took the shampoo from the caddy, squeezing a reasonable amount onto his palm, rubbing his two hands together before spreading it into his hair. they switched spots so Benji could wet his own body, washed his own hair. Jorge spent a few moments admiring the fluffy mess on top his head, never very neat due to the amount of times he ran his fingers through it. Benji looked up, smiling. 

“What?” he asked, slightly self-conscious. Jorge shook his head, moving back under the warm spray, rinsing the soap, his eyes squeezed shut. He inhaled sharply when he felt Benji’s hands on his waist, simply resting there. He finished rinsing his hair, digging his palms into his eyes, and rubbing gently. “Drama queen” Benji teased, ridding his hair of the soap. The two finished showering, Benji cutting the water off as Jorge opened the curtain. The bathroom was full of steam, the mirror fogged up because of it. Benji grabbed there towels from where they hung on the back of the door, handing Jorge’s his and rubbing his own through his hair. Jorge admired Benji then, when he wasn’t paying attention, when he wouldn’t be asked what he was looking at. He began drying himself off when Benji looked up, trying to look inconspicuous. Benji smirked, pulling him closer, tilting his chin up. Jorge laughed when he rubbed their noses together before kissing him softly. Jorge didn’t care that he was dripping water, didn’t care that they were getting water all over the floor, nothing could stop him from kissing Benji, nothing could’ve stopped his mind traveling from here to where this kiss was going as Benji slid his tongue across the seam of his lips, licking at his teeth. Jorge couldn’t help the small whimper when their tongues met, his legs feeling weak. It wasn’t fair how much Benji’s touch affected him, made him seem like a touch starved kitten, but he didn’t care. Benji’s hands trailed down his body, holding him close by his waist, sighing when he felt Jorge was just as turned on by a simple kiss as he was. He pulled way, breathing hard. 

“We should probably go to the bedroom” he suggested, pecking his lips once more. 

“¿Qué hay de nuestro lío?” (What about our mess) Jorge asked, gesturing to the floor. 

“ No te preocupes por eso” (Don’t worry about it) Benji reassured, taking his hand. Noen had called to them as they were getting in the shower that he was going to bed, so they didn’t bother covering up, just went across the hall. Luckily, Noen actually went to bed and didn’t procrastinate doing such. Benji immediately connected their lips again when they entered their room, walking backward until he felt the bed behind him as sat down, Jorge wasting no time to straddle his thighs. They were in no hurry, they new exactly where this would end and were rather content with getting their in time. Neither one was going anywhere. Jorge moved his hips down, smiling when he heard Benji gasp quietly. Jorge was all too familiar with the familiar ache between his legs, gripping Benji’s shoulder when he pulled him down so their hardening cocks ground together. He whimpered quietly; the sounds swallowed by Benji’s bruising kiss. Jorge pushed Benji back by his shoulders, so he was laying down, kissing down his chest until he was seated on his knees between Benji’s legs. Benji, who was rather intuitive, let out a quiet curse knowing what came next. No matter how much Benji liked to think he prepare himself, he was still unprepared for the tight heat of Jorge’s mouth wrapped around the most sensitive part of his body. He moaned quietly as Jorge took him all the way down, swallowing around him. He groaned when Jorge pulled away to breathe, kissing his thigh softly. 

“Fuck, Jorge” he whispered, throwing his arm across his eyes, whimpering when Jorge licked a long stripe along the underside of his heated cock, taking the tip into his mouth and sucking gently. Benji bucked his hips, trying to gain more friction, accidentally gagging Jorge in the process. He pulled away, coughing, his eyes watering. Benji sat up.

“Oh my god, are you alright?” he exclaimed, kneeling in front of him. Jorge nodded, clearing his throat. 

“casi me matas con tu polla” (You almost killed me with your dick) Jorge informed, startling a laugh from Benji.

“You did not almost die” Benji shook his head. Jorge nodded. 

“Yo también lo hice.” (I did too) Jorge informed, wiping his mouth. Benji couldn’t help laughing at that. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you” Benji promised, kissing his cheek softly. Jorge blushed at the promise. He nodded at that, letting Benji help him to his feet. “Now that everyone’s done choking on things” Benji announced earning an elbow to the side. Jorge crawled onto the bed, spreading his legs so Benji could settle between them. Benji however, had other plans. He tapped Jorge’s thigh, communicating that he wanted him to turn over. Jorge frowned, but did just that. He hoped they weren’t going to have sex like that, he preferred being able to see Benji. Benji kissed the back of his neck, sucking a red mark there, smirking at the shiver that went up Jorge’s spine. He continued kissing down his spine, making sure to leave subtle marks every once in a while. Jorge whined impatiently when Benji spread him apart gently, placing heated kisses along his tailbone. Jorge expected a finger, maybe to. What he did not expect was a gentle lick across his hole; he didn’t know whether or not to pull way or push back. He gripped the sheets in on hand reaching for Benji with the other. The natural reaction to a new feeling that was seemingly able to turn you to putty in someone’s hands. He whimpered when Benji repeated the action, harder this time. Benji took his hand reassuringly as he pressed into him, sliding gently past the tight ring of muscle, feeling more than hearing his appreciation. Jorge pressed back against Benji; he was unbearably hard and decided any sort of pleasure would help at the moment. Benji continued to lick and suck until Jorge was a whimpering, pleading mess. Part of him knew they needed to be quiet because Noen was just down the hall, but the sounds Jorge was making were so hot he couldn’t bring himself to tell him to quiet down. He pulled away, earning a desperate sob from Jorge. Benji’s heart hurt with the love he held for Jorge, it felt like he could combust from it. The trusting way Jorge looked up at him all teary eyed and messy hair. Benji realized he could die for this man and he would do it happily, if necessary. He’d protect him to, from all the bad things in the world from all the sadness and fear. S long as Benji was alive Jorge would be carefree and happy, wouldn’t have to worry about anything because Benji would take care of it. He would marry this man. Benji froze at that thoguht. He wasn’t sure if it were because of the wedding they would be attending in the following month that brought this on, but he knew deep down he would spend the resting of his days with Jorge, unless Jorge didn’t want that. Unless Jorge found a better boyfriend in someone stronger, taller, prettier. Benji didn’t mean to get so down in his thoughts, hadn’t meant to draw it out this long. Jorge levered himself onto his elbows, frowning. 

“¿Qué pasa, Benjamin?” (What’s the matter, Benjamin?) Jorge asked, worried. He had been sitting there for an awfully long time and his eyes had started to well. 

“What? Oh, yeah, I’m great” he nodded leaning down and kissing him soft communicating everything he needed to say in the single gesture. 

“Te amo Benjamín” (I love you Benjamin) Jorge whispered against his lips. Benji smiled.

“I love you to, Jorge, so much” he replied, reaching to the side table to retrieve a condom and lube. “Ready?” Benji asked, sliding the condom on, spreading lube onto his dick. Jorge nodded, almost to ready. Benji smiled, placing a soft kiss to his forehead and he pressed in. Jorge took a deep breath at the stretch, Benji’s tongue hadn’t done a particularly good job in prepping him, but it didn’t hurt. It felt rather pleasant. Benji stopped once he bottomed out, brushing hair from Jorge’s eyes. Jorge nodded, signalling that he wanted Benji to move, which he did. Benji pulled all the way out, thrusting back in hard. Jorge whimpered, wrapping his legs around his waist. Jorge’s back arched when Benji brushed against his prostate. Jorge saw fireworks behind his eyelids as the pleasure rushed through his veins. He moaned when Benji adjusted so he was hitting that spot over and over again. Benji leaned down, kissing Jorge hard, all teeth and tongue. Jorge fluttered his eyes open, staring into Benji’s soft amber coloured ones. The room was dark save the moonlight streaming through the window casting a stream of light across the floor. Benji pulled out , sitting against the headboard, patting his thighs signalling he wanted Jorge to ride him. Jorge perched in Benji’s lap, straddling his thighs. He reached around him, gripping Benji’s cock, lining it up with his entrance and pressing down. It took a moment for him to gather the strength to lift himself, whimpering as he did so. Benji held his hips as to steady him as he ground against him. 

“E-estoy cerca de Benjamin” (I’m close Benjamin) he whispered, moaning when Benji reached between them, wrapping his hand around Jorge’s dick, bringing him closer and closer to the edge. He came with a moan, tucking his face against Benji’s neck. Benji held him up, continuing to thrust into him, punching little whimpers from Jorge. Benji emptied into the condom soon after, kissing Jorge’s temple. Jorge wrapped his arms around Benji’s shoulders, moving closer, gasping at the oversensitivity. 

“I got to get up, baby” Benji chuckled as Jorge held him tighter. “Come on, we got to get cleaned up” Benji smiled, gently pulling out of Jorge frowning at the wince from Jorge. Benji disposed of the condom, going to the bathroom to get a wet wash rag. He came back to the room to find Jorge laying down, staring out the window. Benji cleaned off his stomach and chest before tossing the rag in the laundry basket having cleaned himself up in the bathroom. 

“Es luna llena” (It’s a full moon) Jorge said absent minded. Benji nodded, smiling.

“You like astronomy?” Benji asked. Jorge nodded.

“Sí, pero a veces se siente solo saber que eres el único planeta con vida en todo el universo. También es deprimente, saber al final del día que tu valor está hecho a lo largo de lo que hiciste en este bulto de roca espacial que pasó a tener las condiciones adecuadas para sostener la vida. ¿Y si el planeta no fuera capaz de mantener la vida? ¿Y si viviéramos en Mercurio o algo así? ¿Y si ni siquiera viviéramos, pensamos que estamos viviendo porque eso es lo que nos dice la ciencia? ¿Quién hizo los criterios que dicen que estamos vivos? No lo entiendo y a veces lo hago, entiendo en un sueño pasajero donde eveerythig se alinea y tiene sentido sólo para mí para despertar y olvidar y apesta porque eso debería molestarme, pero no lo hace” (Yeah, but sometimes it feels lonely knowing you're the only planet with life on it in the whole universe. It's depressing too, knowing at the end of the day your worth is chalked up to what you did on this lump of space rock that just so happened to have the right conditions to sustain life. What if th planet wasnt able to hold life? What if we were living on Mercury or something? What if we weren't even living, we just htink we're living because thats what science tells us? Who made the criteria that says we're alive? I don't get it adn sometimes i do, i understand in a passing dream where eveerythig aligns and it makes sense only for me to wake up and forget and it sucks because that should bother me but it doesn't) Jorge sighed, not looking away from the window. Benji felt the weight of Jorge’s words and could feel the same dull feeling that Jorge felt, the feeling that didn’t have a name, the feeling that was just there. 

“That’s enough philosophy for one night” Benji smiled, pulling the blanket down, too tired to put boxers on. Jorge smiled softly at Benji, joining him beneath the blanket, cuddling close to him. 

“Me alegro de que nos conociéramos” (I’m glad we met) Jorge informed, looking slightly out of it yet completely there. Benji smiled. 

“Me too” he nodded kissing him gently and falling asleep as quickly as he fell in love with Jorge.


	19. Chapter 19

Unfortunately for Jorge, the next few weeks past rather quickly. It was as if someone got their hands on the world clock and sped it up. Jorge refused to get out of bed the morning of, claiming he wasn't going. Benji opened the closet door, pulling out his clothes that had been hanging up for the past two months.   
"Come on Jorge, I had to visit my family against my will, and I did it without you for seven months, can't you do it with me for a few hours?" Benji asked. He knew it was unfair to use that against him, knew that wasn't his fault, but it could possibly put this into perspective.   
"Tuve la opción de rechazar la invitación, sin embargo, me convenció de hacerlo, así que es todo su culpa" (I had the choice to decline the invite, you however, persuaded me to do it, so it's all your fault) Jorge reminded. Benji sighed. Jorge was right, Benji had pushed him to accept the invitation, but only because he shouldn't refuse to go to his cousin's wedding because he was in a roe with his parents. That wasn't very fair to Maria, or Jorge himself.   
"Come on Cariño, get up, please?" he asked. Jorge shook his head, covering it with a pillow.   
"Is he still not up?" Noen asked, buttoning his shirt. Benji nodded. "Come on Whore, get up" Noen coaxed. Jorge just whined. Benji and Noen shared a look, rolling their eyes in sync.   
"Fine, Jorge, we're leaving you here" Benji threatened.   
"Bien" (Good) was all he said. Benji should've expected that.   
"Fine" Benji huffed, leaving the room. Jorge peeked out from beneath the blanket, seeing Benji was truly gone before he sat up. He really had to do this, he really had to go to Maria's wedding. He cursed under his breath as he got out of bed, pulling the clothes on he had put together months before. He grabbed his shoes from the closet and left the room. Noen and Benji were in the kitchen eating when Jorge appeared.   
"Hey, look who's up" Benji smiled. Jorge nodded, spinning around to show them that he was dress and wasn't hiding any concealed weapons. "You look cute" Benji complimented, getting a blush in return.   
"Here, eat up, we have a long drive to go" Benji informed, tossing him a banana. Jorge fumbled for it, almost dropping it in the process. Benji smiled, shaking his head. He finished up the strawberries he had before going to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Noen following shortly after. Jorge peeled his banana eating it quickly before going to brush his teeth as well. Noen and Benji were in front of the sink, their making faces in the mirror.   
"Verdaderamente maduro" (Truly mature) he said, moving between them.  
"You're telling me you've never made faces in the mirror while brushing your teeth?" Benji asked, spitting the white foam into the basin. Jorge shook his head, unable to keep from smiling at the two. They were idiots but they were his idiots.   
"¿Sabes si Antonio está listo?" (Do you know if Antonio is ready?) Jorge asked, scrubbing his own teeth. Benji shrugged, rinsing his mouth with water.   
"I'll go check" Noen said, since he was already done brushing his teeth. Jorge nodded, looking at Benji knowingly. His crush on one of the girls, Jorge wasn't quite sure who yet, was obvious.   
"Abby" Benji announced when he was out of ear shot.   
"¿Cómo puedes estar tan seguro?" (How can you be so sure?) Jorge asked curiously, spitting in the sink.  
"It's obvious, he's so willing to do things with her" Benji shrugged, smiling. Jorge tilted his head a little unsure, he liked spending time with all three of the girls. He shrugged back, rinsing his mouth, and drying it on the hand towel hanging beside the mirror. "Ready?" he asked, gaining a nod from Jorge. Benji smiled, taking his hand in his own. Jorge blew hair from his eyes, looking into Benji's in the mirror.   
"Como siempre seré" (As I'll ever be) Jorge announced. Benji smiled, leading him from the bathroom just as Noen opened the front door with Antonio in tow. She looked stunning as usual, even Jorge said something. They all piled into Benji's car, preparing for the two-hour long trip to Girona. Benji had never been, but Spain's main travel guide in the back told them all about it.  
"Girona is an city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. Girona is the capital of the province of the same name and also capital of the comarca of the Gironès. Since much of the old quarter of this ancient city has been preserved, Girona is a popular destination for tourists, and film productions have used it as a filming location." Noen explained before they even reached the end of the street.   
"What does Abby and Charlotte plan to do today?" Benji asked Antonio, who was admiring her nails.   
"I don't know, they were asleep when we left so I just left a note promising we would be home later" she shrugged. Benji laughed, cutting on his turn signal. Antonio shrugged, looking out her window. It didn't take long for her and Noen to fall asleep on each other in the back. Jorge looked as though he was asleep, but whenever Benji looked over, Jorge would open his eyes and look back. He leaned forward and cut the radio on, smiling when Benji rested his hand on his thigh. Jorge closed his eyes again, turning his face to the window so the sunshine warmed his cheeks.   
The car ride was silent as they passed through the many cities between Barcelona and Girona. Everything was so scenic and beautiful, Benji almost felt bad for Antonio who wasn't able to see it now because it would be dark when they drove back. Benji took in as much as the scenery as he could, only checking the time every once in a while. It was almost eleven and the ceremony started at noon. They should get there early so Jorge could have time to speak to his parents. Benji almost regretted the whole thing when he saw how nervous Jorge was, but there was no turning back now.   
*  
It wasn't long until they were arriving at Jardins dels Alemanys, which was old and medieval looking.   
"Are we ready?" he asked the group, knowing he was, just wondering if everyone else was. Everyone voiced their agreement except Jorge who looked neglected and lost. "Come on, Cariño" he smiled, nudging him gently. Jorge nodded, unbuckling.   
Jorge was not, in fact, ready. Inside the structure, the front hall was full of his and his cousin's fiancé's family. Lucky for him though, no one paid any attention to his entrance. That was until one of his cousins, Benji found out was named Roberto, attacked him in a bear hug.   
"¡Jorge! No te he visto en años." (Jorge! I haven't seen you in years!) he exclaimed. Jorge nodded, hugging the boy back awkwardly. Benji refrained from laughing, Jorge would surely punch him in the face.   
"Sí, han sido como siete" (Yeah, it's been like seven) he shrugged as though it hadn't been that long.   
"¡Exactamente! Para, largo, mucho a largo, que son estos chicos?" (Exactly! To, long, much to long, who are these guys?) he smiled, only just realizing the three with him.   
"Estos son mis amigos Antonio y Noen, y mi novio, Benji" (These are my friends Antonio and Noen, and my uh boyfriend, Benji) he informed. Roberto nodded, holding his hand out to Benji.  
"Encantado de conocerte, Benji, será mejor que trates a mi primo derecho o a mis hermanos y yo iré tras de ti, algunos de nuestra familia podrían no estar de acuerdo con ustedes dos, pero todavía no queremos que Jorge lastime. "(Nice to meet you, Benji, you better treat my cousin right or my brother s and I will come after you, some of our family might not agree with you two, but we still don't want Jorge hurt) he promised, shaking his hand throughout the speech. Jorge's cheeks were bright red as Benji nodded, agreeing to never hurt him.   
"See why I don't talk to them?" he asked the group quietly as Roberto shook Noen's hand and kissed Antonio's.  
"¡Eres bella! Jorge, ¿por qué estar con Benji cuando este ángel está aquí?" (You are beautiful! Jorge, why be with Benji when this angel is right here?) he asked, spinning her around. Antonio smiled.  
"Gracias, Senor!" she batted her eyelashes. Roberto smiled.   
"No lo animes Antonio" (Don't encourage him Antonio) he shook his head, walking farther into the building. He just wanted to find a seat and get it over with. Before he could get to the sanctuary, he was stopped by someone he assumed was from the fiancé's family.  
"Are you Jorge?" she asked. Her blue eyes looked excited and relieved that she had found him.   
"Yes" he nodded.   
"Maria said to get you once you arrived, you and the boy your with" she said, eyeing Noen and Benji. "I don't know which one" she frowned, looking disappointed.   
"I think she means me" Benji spoke up. The blonde girl smiled.   
"Thank god, come on" she ordered, gabbing both there hands and pulling them after her.   
"Find seats" Benji called to the other two, who smiled mischievously. The girl, who's name was still unknown, led them to room down a desolate hallway that was lit only by a sconce on either end of it. They came to a closed door with a plaque that said '13-18' on it. Jorge frowned as the blonde opened it, revealing a makeshift dressing room. Inside, his cousin was sitting at a desk in front of a large mirror, another one of his cousins behind her doing her hair. Maria froze to look at who came in and jumped up once she caught sight of Jorge. She didn't say anything, just hugged him. Jorge actually hugged her back willingly having missed her dearly. He could live without seeing a lot of people in his family, but Maria was different. She was always there for him, always stuck up for him. plus they always got into so much trouble together when they were younger. Some of his best memories were getting in trouble with her. He couldn't believe he almost didn't go to the wedding.   
"Tengo un gran favor que pedir" (I have a big favour to ask) she informed seriously. There were tears in her eyes and Jorge couldn't tell if they were happy or sad.   
"¿por qué? ¿Qué ocurre?" (Why? What's the matter?) he asked worriedly, willing to beat anyone's ass for her.  
"Bueno, papá no iba a alegrarse cuando se enteró de que me iba a casar con un hombre blanco." (Well, Dad wasn't to happy when he found out I was marrying a white man) she informed. Jorge's heart plummeted. He knew what was coming next, but at the same time he didn't. He prepared himself for bad news anyway. "se negó a caminarme por el pasillo, se negó a venir hoy" (he refused to walk me down the aisle, refused to even come today) she said, a tear escaping her eyes. Jorge frowned, wiping it away. "¿Podrías, si no te importa, podrías regalarme?" (Could you, if you don't mind, could you give me away?) she asked. Jorge nodded as soon as the words left her mouth. Maria hugged him tight, smiling happily. The other two girls hugged them as well, making it a group hug. Benji though what the hell and joined in, even though he only to 25% of the group. The hug dismantled, leaving all three girls and Jorge teary eyed. "Oh, y yo quería conocer al que te ató." (Oh and I wanted to meet the one who tied you down) she informed. Jorge laughed, pulling Benji closer by his belt loop, smiling.   
"Este es Benjamin" (This is Benjamin) he introduced. Maria gave him a hug, smiling.   
"Eres el infame Benji, es encantador conocerte." (You're the infamous Benji, it's lovely to meet you) she announced.   
"Infame" (Infamous?) he asked nervously.   
"Por supuesto, todo el mundo sabe de Noen, principalmente porque Jorge y yo hablamos de vez en cuando y me ha hablado de él, Benji, sin embargo fue una nueva adición y la forma en que escribió sobre ti en la carta de vuelta a tus padres, sólo tenía que asumir" (Of course, everyone knows of Noen, mainly because Jorge and I talk every once in a while and he's told me about him, Benji, however was a new addition and the way he wrote about you in the letter back to your parents, I just had to assume) she smiled, nudging him playfully. His cheeks darkened once more.   
"¿Qué dijiste exactamente en esa respuesta?" (What exactly did you say in that response?) Benji asked, smirking.   
"Recuerdo vagamente maldecir tu nombre" (I vaguely remember cursing your name) Jorge teased; Benji rolled his eyes. Maria giggled, sitting back at her desk, preparing to do her makeup.   
"Voy a buscar a Noen y Antonio" (I'm going to go find Noen and Antonio) he informed, pressing a kiss to his cheek before leaving the room.   
*  
Benji found Antonio and Noen talking to someone from the fiancé's side.   
"Hey guys, who's this?" he asked, gesturing to the small blonde boy they were conversing with.   
"Oh, this is Dylan, the grooms brother" Antonio informed. The boy looked like a carbon copy of the girl who was sent to retrieve him and Jorge, just taller with brown eyes.   
"Nice to meet you, you must be Jorge's boyfriend" he smiled. Benji nodded.   
"How many people know of me?" he asked. Dylan just shrugged, laughing. Benji sighed. It really was going to be a long day. The three conversed with Dylan until they were ordered to be seated in the correct places. Dylan sat on the side where the grooms family sat and Benji, Antonio, and Noen found where they were supposed to sit with Jorge. The music started up, and everyone stood to watch as they went down the aisle.   
"Dude, Jorge's giving her away? When did this happen?" Antonio asked quietly.   
"I'll tell you later" Benji murmured, smiling as they went. Everyone was equally as surprised as Antonio since Jorge was practically AWOL for years until finally making an appearance by walking Maria down the aisle. It was so dramatic and so Jorge that Benji couldn't help feeling proud. Once they got to the end, Jorge kissed both Maria's cheeks before sitting down. Benji gripped his hand, smiling as they sat.   
"Apenas sobreviví a eso" (I barely survived that) he whispered, Benji nodded, kissing his knuckles.   
"You did great" he whispered. Jorge nodded, inhaling shakily as the ceremony stared. He had promised himself he wouldn't cry, but he was never strong on his word, hadn't he promised himself he wouldn't fall in love with Benji?  
*  
After the ceremony, and Maria and Jonathan were officially married, everyone moved to a different area of the building for the reception. Dylan met up with them, claiming they were more interesting than his family. Jorge was swept away by Maria to reconnect with the family as well as meet her husband's.   
"Maria's really happy Jorge came" Dylan informed as they watched them make their way through out the room, many people greeting him with hugs.   
"He almost didn't" Benji admitted. Dylan rose an eyebrow.   
"What? Why?" he asked.   
"He didn't want to see everyone, didn't want to be greeted by hostility and disappointment" Benji shrugged.   
"I understand, what I don't get it why it causes such an uproar among people when someone's gay" Dylan sighed. "Like my friend Rourke got kicked out of his house because of it, had to move in with his boyfriend" Dylan sighed. It was quiet among the group for a moment as Jorge made it back to them, having escaped Maria just as Dylan was called away by a group of guys.   
"¿Podemos irnos a casa ahora?" (Can we go home now?) he asked, leaning against Benji, lacing their fingers together.   
"Not quite, Cariño" he said. Jorge sighed, more than ready to leave. He had promised to visit Maria and Jonathan after they got back from their honeymoon, had met Jonathan's parents as well as his best men and the longer he stayed the more likely he was to have to talk to his parents. As though the universe was against him, he locked eyes with his mother who looked both surprised and relieved.   
"Shit" he said as she got his father's attention and they made their way over.   
"Mamá, papa"(Mom, Dad) he nodded his grip on Benji's hand tightening. It kind of relieved Benji, having fully expected him to let go as soon as they walked over.   
"Jorge" his mom said, her voice choked with tears. Jorge tensed, expecting a lecture. Instead His mom wrapped him in a hug, and at that point Jorge was so tired of hugs he was willing to push her away, but it was his mother, how could he do that to her? His dad stood there, his hand on Jorge's shoulder as though it were his form of a hug. Jorge never let go of Benji's hand throughout the entire exchange.   
"Mamá, sé que no hemos hablado en mucho tiempo y sé que probablemente quieras gritarme, pero ¿podría esperar esto hasta después de la boda?" (Mom, I know we haven't talked in a while and I know you probably want to yell at me, but could this wait until after the wedding?) Jorge asked. His mom pulled away.   
"¿Por qué crees que quiero regañarte Jey?" (Why do you think I want to scold you Jey?) she asked, genuinely concerned.  
"Bueno, sé que no estás de acuerdo conmigo en" (Well, I know you don't agree with me on) he glanced at Benji. (You know) he shrugged, looking at the ground.   
"Sólo porque no estoy de acuerdo con eso no significa que voy a perder el aliento tratando de cambiarlo, porque a diferencia de algunos, soy consciente de que no puedo" (Just because I don't agree with it doesn't mean I'm going to waste my breath trying to change it, because unlike some, I'm aware that I can't) she said whispering the last part. "Pero sólo porque tu padre y yo te aceptemos, no significa que todos lo hagan." (But just because your father and me accept you, doesn't mean everyone will) she said. Jorge nodded; he was well aware of that.   
"Conozco a mamá, no te preocupes, no voy por ahí introduciendo mi sexualidad como mi nombre" (I know mom, don't worry, I don't go around introducing my sexuality like my name) he reassured.   
"Bueno, bueno, ahora, déjame conocer a este chico del que estás colgado." (Good, good, now, now let me meet this boy you're hung up on) she ordered, smiling. Jorge would never tire of introducing Benji to people, because it was Benji and anything that had to do with him was easy.   
"Este es Benji" (This is Benji) he said, pulling Benji forward.   
"Encantado de conocerla señora Garay" (Nice to meet you Mrs. Garay) Benji smiled, holding his hand out to shake.   
"Encantado de conocerte también" (Nice to meet you too) she smiled. His father, who had been remotely silent the whole time, spoke.   
"¿De dónde eres, Benji?" (Where are you from, Benji?) he asked. Benji smiled.   
"Nací y crecí en Canadá" (I was born and raised in Canada) he informed, nodding.   
"¿Dónde en Canadá?"(Where at in Canada?) Mrs. Garay asked.  
"Nova Scotia" Benji smiled. Jorge's parents looked well intent on questioning Benji and his intentions farther, if it hadn't been for Maria needing Jorge for the 'father-daughter dance' which was now the 'Cousin-cousin dance' which no one seemed to mind, except Jorge because he couldn't dance.   
"No me averguences, Jorge " (Don't you embarrass me, Jorge Garay!) Maria threatened.   
"¿No te avergonzas? ¡Me voy a avergonzar!" (Don't embarrass you? I'm going to embarrass myself!) he replied as the music started.   
"Sólo mis pies" (Just follow my feet) she ordered. Jorge nodded, doing just that. He could follow her feet for four minutes it wouldn't kill him. He could also ignore all of the people staring at him as he stared at her feet. It also didn't help she was taller than him in her heels, so it was kind of awkward. Jorge held his breath through the whole dance, only letting it out when he handed her over to Jonathan. He refrained from running back to where his group was sitting.   
"You did so good" Benji whispered in his ear, pressing a gentle kiss to his neck. Jorge nodded, feeling less jittery. Everyone was silent as Maria and Jonathan danced, until they stopped and everyone who wanted too, got up to dance themselves.   
"¿Quieres bailar?" (Want to dance?) none other than Roberto asked, not Antonio, but Noen.   
"What?" he asked, laughing.   
"¡Vamos! ¡Será divertido!" (Come on! It'll be fun!) he reassured, grabbing his hand. Noen looked at the others, a flashing neon sign stating help going off in his eyes.   
"It'll be fun!" Benji called after him.   
"Wasn't that the cousin who was gushing over how beautiful I was?" Antonio asked. Both Benji and Jorge nodded.   
"Guess we aren't the only ones who are making a statement" Benji laughed. It was quite comical, watching Noen and Roberto danced. Roberto was significantly shorter than Noen, so when he tried to spin Noen around Noen had to duck. He seemed to be having fun, and that was all that mattered.   
"Tengo que ir al baño" (I have to go to the bathroom) Jorge announced.   
"I'll come" Benji volunteered.   
"Me too" Antonio announced, standing up. "Should we get a guide? Someone who knows this place?" Antonio asked. Jorge shook his head.   
"Estaremos bien." (We'll be fine) he said, trailing off when he heard his name being spoken. It was in a hushed way that gave Jorge anxiety.   
"Sí, escuché que es uno de esos" (Yeah, I heard he's one of those) one said,  
"¡No es posible! Lo conocí cuando era sólo un niño, no hay manera de" (No way! I knew him when he was just a kid, there's no way) another said.   
"Sí, y tuvo la audacia de traer el que ha establecido con" (Yep, and he had the audacity to bring the one he's laid up with) the first one said. Jorge scowled. He had half a mind to go over there, but he didn't want to cause any trouble for Maria. That would make him look like a basket case. His place as the family disappointment would be more permanent, not to mention Maria would never forgive him. he continued on to the bathroom, ignoring what the pretentious morons had to say. He was happy, and for once in his life, he was intent on staying that way. He wasn't going to risk his happiness for other people's, he was tired of that. Jorge hadn't realized he had stopped walking until Benji reached for his hand. Jorge looked down at their entwined hands, then back up at the two women who were talking about him, who were now looking at him. He was pulled away by Benji but before he was, blew a kiss to the ladies. Why not spread a little positivity?  
They quickly found the bathrooms, which were rather easy to find since they were on the same hall as the ballroom. Antonio disappeared into her respective bathroom as Jorge and Benji went into theirs.   
"You think Noen's alright?" Benji asked Jorge who just laughed.   
"¿Crees que Roberto está bien?" (Do you think Roberto is alright?) he replied jokingly. Benji laughed as well. Once Benji finished using the bathroom and washing his hands, since Jorge didn't actually have to go, Jorge told him about what he overheard.   
"Don't worry about them, you're here for Maria not everyone else" Benji kissed him softly, pulling him closer by his waist. "Just a few more hours, we'll laugh at Noen and Roberto, talk to Dylan, maybe talk with your parents, you'll make a speech, and we'll go" he promised, kissing him once more. Jorge nodded, taking a deep breath. The door opened, revealing Antonio.  
"Come on lovebirds, we don't have time for you to hook up in the bathroom" she scolded playfully.  
"We are not hooking up" Benji rolled his eyes, following her out. Jorge pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes, breathing deeply before going out as well.   
When they got back to the ballroom, people had already begun making speeches.   
"¿Dónde has estado? ¡Tú eres el siguiente!" (Where have you been? You're next!) Dylan informed, nudging him towards the stage. Jorge nodded, his heart picking up nervously. One of Jonathan's best men handed the microphone to him, smiling encouragingly. Jorge nodded, standing on the stage, looking over the crowd, smiling softly.   
"Hola, la mayoría de ustedes no me conocen a mí y a los que no me han visto en años, así que trataré de mantener esto rápido como para no perder su tiempo. Cuando recibí la invitación para venir aquí hoy, casi me niego. Estaba listo para tirarlo en la papelera y olvidar que alguna vez llegó. Me costó algo de convencerme ir, y lo temía en cada paso del camino. Pero me alegro de haber venido, porque pude presenciar el matrimonio de dos personas verdaderamente enamoradas. Tengo que ver como María y Jonathan se entregaban el uno al otro para siempre y no hay nada más mágico que eso. Sólo quiero agradecer a cualquier dios que haya que se cruzara con María y Jonathans para hacer que este día suceda. Espero que ustedes dos vivan para amarse hasta que las estrellas caigan" (Hi, most of you don't know me and the ones that do haven't seen me in years, so I'll try to keep this quick as to not waste your time. When I got the invitation to come here today, I almost declined. I was ready to throw it in the bin and forget it ever came. It took some convincing for me to go, and I dreaded it every step of the way. But I'm glad I came, because I got to witness the marriage of two people truly in love. I got to watch as Maria and Jonathan gave themselves to each other for forever and there's nothing more magical than that. I just want to thank whatever god there is that crossed Maria and Jonathans paths in order to make this day happen. I hope you two live to love each other until the stars fall) Jorge smiled, the speech greeted by applause. He sat back down beside Benji smiling.   
"You did so good" Benji praised, taking his hand once more. Jorge smiled. At least someone thought so.   
*  
Eventually, the evening ebbed away, the sun setting and the breeze picking up. As reluctant as they were to leave, they had a two-hour drive home.   
"Puedes quedarte con nosotros" (You can stay with us) Maria suggested, holding Jorge's free hand.   
"Me encantaría, nos encantaría también, pero tengo plantas para llegar a casa también, Charlotte y Abby están esperando Antonio" (I'd love to, we'd love too, but I have plants to get home too, Charlotte and Abby are expecting Antonio) Jorge shook his head, hugging Maria. (I'll call you; I promise) he promised as his parents walked over.   
"¿Asumo que se van?" (I assume you boys are leaving?) Mrs. Garay asked. Jorge nodded, hugging her and his dad.   
"Sí, tenemos que llegar a casa" (Yes, we have to get home) he informed.  
"Espero una llamada telefónica dos veces a la semana, una carta una vez a la semana, y una visita al menos una vez al mes" (I expect phone call twice a week, a letter once a week, and a visit at least once a month) his mom ordered. Jorge nodded, smiling.   
"Claro" (Of course) he nodded. Roberto walked over with Noen laughing at something he said.   
"Tienes mi número, ¿verdad?" (You have my number, right?) he asked.   
"Sí, llamaré y escribiré, y tal vez puedas venir a Barcelona algún día" (Yes, I'll call, and write, and maybe you can come to Barcelona sometime) Noen suggested. Roberto nodded, smiling happily.   
"Esperemos, adiós Jorge, Benji, Antonio, fue un placer verlos chicos, espero que podamos hacerlo de nuevo" (Hopefully, bye Jorge, Benji, Antonio, it was lovely seeing you guys, hopefully we can do it again) he smiled, going down the line hugging each one. He waved before walking off back into the ballroom.   
"So, you and Roberto?" Benji teased.  
"We could grow to be great friends" he nodded.   
"I don't know maybe he wants to be more than that" Antonio winked.   
"I doubt it" he laughed. Benji and Antonio shared a look before following him out the building. Jorge stayed back with Maria and Jonathan.   
"Lo visitaré lo antes posible." (I'll visit as soon as possible) he reassured, noting the gleam of tears in Maria's eyes. He felt his own tears welling up.   
"Más te vale." (You better) she ordered, hugging him close. Jorge nodded, laughing at how emotional they were being.   
"Lo hare" (I will) he nodded.   
"De acuerdo, te amo" (Okay, I love you) she smiled, letting him go.   
"Yo también te quiero, ven a visitarme a Barcelona también" (I love you too, come visit me in Barcelona too) he ordered as he walked out the door. He waved as he jogged to the car where Benji, Antonio, and Noen were waiting.   
"Ready?" Benji asked as Jorge buckled in. Jorge was relieved. He felt as though a large weight was lifted from his chest. He felt like everything from his past, the tension between his parents and him, the way he just left, it was all easier to del with. Sure, he didn't clear up why he left with his parents he had refused to do that at the wedding, but it was a step closer to repairing his relationships. He closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat.   
"Listo" (Ready) he nodded.


End file.
